Ask 411 Wrestling 04.15.09: Divas Going Topless, Divas Getting Screwed, & Chief Morley!
Posted by Mathew Sforcina on 04.15.2009
Did Goldust travel back in time? Did Ray Traylor feud with himself? Why wasn't Raven allowed to go to War? Did TNA really rip off No Holds Barred? And haven't I done enough Fantasy Booking? Apparently not, as I do more inside. Not that you care, that teaser's enough to drag you in. No-one can resist Chief Morley...
Welcome to another edition of Ask 411 Wrestling. April is often a bit hectic for me, but right now it's a downright blur, with lots of stuff going on. Not that you care. After all, you're here to get your questions answered or post snarky comments about how I suck or to see funny videos or whatever. You're not here to read about my life, nor are you here to see me shill my Fed's HUGE shows this weekend in the Sydney CBD and at Wollongong this Saturday and Sunday, featuring Al Snow, Chris Masters, A Steel Cage and much much more, information here! No, not at all.
Sometimes it's like I'm TRYING to piss the Trolls off, isn't it…
Backtalking
Oh boy. Lot to cover here.
Postmodern Wrestling World?: If we were, Russo would still be booking WCW since 95% of his stuff required you to know a hell of a lot. WWE just occasionally throws in a little bit for us, but not enough to confuse the average fan who in all probability doesn't read all this stuff.
Immediate Tombstone Kick Outs: I'm sure Hogan no-sold one at some point, but Kane at Wrestlemania XIV is the most obvious answer.
I'm sexy: Uh… Thanks?
Kayfabe: So… if it's irrelevant, why the anger?
Hence: What word would you have me use then? It's a column where I answer questions, ipso facto the word will come up a fair bit. Would ‘therefore' be preferable? Hell, "answer" and "was" probably both appear a fair bit in these things as well, why don't they bother you?
I used Savage Twice: Yeah yeah, I made a mistake. Replace Savage/Flair with Hogan/Warrior.
Superstars Green Screen: Apparently I've been overruled here, and yes, they were there most of the time. Jason D'Agostino claimed they began to switch in 89-90, whereas others claimed otherwise.
Revolving around PPVs:Keith pointed out that PPV is also where storylines (usually) pay off, and thus it's smart to give you the lead up for free then make you pay for the conclusion. A concept Vince Russo has NEVER understood.
The Ultimate Wrestlemania/Nerd Convention Kafuffle: Wow, such anger. You'd think you were paying to read this stuff or something.
Ok, to be honest, I posted both articles under the assumption that they would be posted on the same day at the same time. I pretty much had a similar train of thought to you, some people didn't want to read it, so I cut it out and posted it sperate so that you didn't have to. Thus the UW didn't have any indication that a regular one was on the way in the text since when it was posted it assumed that they'd be public at the same time.
The bosses disagreed, and they pushed the Ask 411 back a day to give the UW a moment in the sun. Thus, given the date, I stuck in the Fooled You bit into the Ask 411 thing mostly as a joke. I probably should have Chandlered it, but at the time I thought it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Apparently you disagreed. And hey, more power to you.
As for the Nerd Convention, I say that AS a nerd, and quite a big one at that. My name on the 411 forums contains two sci-fi references, I ripped off my wrestling name from one of them, I have a large Munchkin collection and more dice than I have… practically any other objects I own, really. Obviously the tone I usually say Nerd Convention in is lost in the printed word. Oh, and I fail to see how paying to attend is more cool then being paid to perform there.
Your Turn, Smart Guy…
Marty Jannetty is the answer I was looking for, yes. The explanation was given fairly early on, and Shawn Michaels only ever held the tag titles with Diesel, unless Steve Austin or John Cena were inducted into the Clique and I didn't notice.
I'm tempted one of these weeks to have Paul Rome be the answer, but I'm not sure you guys could handle that. So instead, a video game based question.
True or false: No-one who appeared in both WCW/nWo Revenge and WWF No Mercy is still employed by WWE.
Questions, Questions, Who's Got The Questions?
CanadianCrippler starts us off with a sore topic, for me at least.
Heya friend! I'm new to reading 411, and enjoyed your article.
I gotsta ask'ya though, about Fire Pro in HD? Being a new reader, I may have missed out on the details. Sorry if this has already been covered, and sorry if it is a sore issue! Also, sorry if that's a vague question, but I'm curious to know what the deal is/was. I'm a long-time Fire Pro fan, which probably explains my curiosity.
In short -- what is the Fire Pro HD "joke" issue?
Thank you for your time, and the effort in your articles, Mr. Sforcina!
Well, the full story is explained, in length, here, but the gist of the matter is that Fire Pro HD was a hoax, kinda. Basically someone on Fire Pro Club (the biggest Fire Pro community on the net, I believe, certainly the biggest in English) thought that Spike, the company that has the rights to it, had stopped making Fire Pro games. So, he spread the news about this new game (and a Wii game) with the intent, apparently, on getting everyone all worked up, then using this to motivate and mobilize the fans to demand the game get made.
An unusual plan, to say the least.
This as yet has not worked, and instead the entire Fire Pro fanbase is feeling very angry and what have you. Especially guys like me, since Fire Pro, to the best of my knowledge, has never been officially released in Australia. I've played an import at a friends house for like half an hour and I've been forcing myself to not go through the chaos of importing (which I know will be full of problems) to get one myself. Sure, graphically it's miles behind the latest WWE games, but the gameplay and depth is incredible.
So basically Fire Pro HD was some stupid guy's bad idea of a motivator. Sadly.
Onto more serious questions, Greg has some. 1) and 2) will appear in the Opinion section.
3) When Val Venis dropped his gimmick and sided with Eric Bischoff and became Chief Sean Morley (a.k.a his real name), I remember Morley got nothing from the crowds. No boos, no cheers,; you could hear a pin drop in the arena. My question is: why would the crowd do that? Yeah I know; because he joined Eric's regime. But yet when he changed back to Val Venis, the crowds loved him. They couldn't remember his turn?
Sorry for that rant.
No sweat, I shouldn't be the only one.
The problem was that the Chief Morley character was pretty bland. At least when he joined RTC, Val was still somewhat interesting, as the former debauched porn star renouncing his ways. But Chief Morley was just a generic henchman character. It could have been interesting to play off Morley trying to just ignore his past as he made a new life or something, but he certainly had little going for him, either from a storyline/gimmick perspective nor from a charisma standpoint (sure, he tried, but he was hardly able to rock the mic in that role).
After all, that was what led to the creation of the Val Venis persona to begin with, Russo just couldn't find anything in Morley to create a character off of, just that the guy looked like a porn star. And Val Venis was off and running.
Kevin has a few issues to raise himself.
1. I seem to remember a WWF program during 89-91? During the opening, very quickly they show Randy Savage nailing a flying elbow onto what appears to be Goldust? Even thought this was a good 4 years before he debuted. Am I on crack or did this happen?
Maybe both. Shows on at that point were All American Wrestling, Prime Time Wrestling, Superstars of Wrestling, The Main Event, Wrestling Challenge and Wrestling Spotlight. Without knowing more about the show it's hard to say, but in all probability it would have been a member of Demolition. Depending on the visual effects, anyone in face paint and short hair might fit the bill, but it certainly wasn't Goldust, in that while Dustin Rhodes did have a short run in WWF in 90-91, he never fought Randy Savage. So it didn't happen.
2. When Shane Douglas wrestled in the WWF in early 90`s, did he ever win the Intercontinental Tile at a house show or was there talk of him winning it? Also was he supposed to team with or replace one of the rockers?
Shane Douglas didn't technically ‘win' the IC title, but he was awarded it. Shawn Michaels, after the Syracuse Nightclub beatdown, had to forfeit the IC title due to injury. He thus handed over the title at the IYH: Great White North PPV to Dean Douglas. Shane got the belt for a whole 15 or so minutes as he was forced to defend it immediately against Razor Ramon who pretty much dismantled him to win the title. Which explains, in part, why Shane doesn't list Clique members on his Christmas card list.
3. What Smackdown star, behind the scenes, was it, that hooked up with Dawn Marie when she entered the WWE? Not Torrie Wilson.
Behind the scenes? I couldn't find any rumors or innuendo. She apparently didn't sate anyone within the company between breaking up with Swinger and meeting this Matt guy she's married to now.
4. Was there supposed to be another main event for Survivor Series 2007 then the one we got? I think I remember seeing an advertisement for a Main event between Sabu, Van Dam and someone else vs a Raw Team vs a Smackdown team?
I doubt it, since RVD was gone in June and Sabu in May. Maybe at some point a ECW V Raw V SD match might have been on the cards, but Sabu and RVD were long gone before Survivor Series.
5. When Ray Traylor wrestled in WCW in mid 90`s, he went under a few gimmicks. Again I may have been on crack but was there maybe a time when he was feuding with anther character that he portrayed? Like the Guardian Angel cutting promos on The Boss Man?
I think what you'll find is that you're thinking about the period after he had to stop being The Guardian Angel, and he denounced the gimmick after turning heel, becoming Big Bubba Rogers again. Or maybe the other way round, having just become the Angel, he denounced The Boss character. WCW were stupid, but they'd never reach the level of stupidity of having Ray's characters feud would require until Warrior came in.
Following on, Scott Spencer.
Thanks for keeping up the column. I'm sure it is quite a bit of work.
Here's my question- For no good reason, I was watching WCW's World War 3 in 1997. The NWO makes a separate entrance. The are all holding up the 6 T-shirt, but Syxx/Sean Waltman is not there. Why were they all making a big deal about the shirt, waving it about and almost all of them wearing it?
Because Sean Waltman was at home having recently suffered the neck injury that he'd end up getting fired from WCW while still recovering from. It was a ‘show of unity' in that the nWo were thinking of him while he was out.
Another smaller question about the same show, all of the wrestlers who worked the undercard were also in the battle royal, even Curt Hennig who was 'injured'. The only exceptions seemed to be Perry Saturn, Raven and Scotty Riggs- was there any reason for this, storyline or otherwise?
It was Storyline. At that point, Raven was still ‘not under contract' with WCW, in fact he was confronted on that very show by JJ Dillon and given an ultimatum to sign a contract within 24 hours or be banned from WCW TV. Saturn was part of Raven's Flock, and Riggs was carried off to be indoctrinated and thus join Raven's Flock. Since no-one in The Flock was a WCW employee, they didn't get into World War III.
No, it's not The Riddler, but Jonberg.
Riddle me this Mathew,
What's with all the columns? Does Vince think his wrestlers are Romans? Every build up vid or returning soon vid seems to feature panning of the superstar with loads of Roman/Grecian (I'm not an archaeology buff) columns in the background. Is this a studio or green screen? Is there any real reason beyond wishing he was the boss of gods rather than superstars? Hey maybe that could be a fun column, or at least a second question. How would you attribute Superstars to the Greek Pantheon? Eg HHH = Zeus, Undertaker = Hades etc
No, it's more about impressions and such. There are worse things to be thought of with than Gods and Empires. Plus they do look cool. If a character is powerful or arrogant or long lasting or what have you, columns help to give that impression. Now, if they introduced some girl next door American sweetheart and they had columns, that would be a problem.
I always thought that TNA's ring was revolutionary. Then I saw the trailer for No Holds Barred. Zeus and Hogan in the Impact Zone! So the question is, just when did someone first use a six sided ring?
The first professional wrestling company to use a 6 sided ring was the Lucha company Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, AAA, which brought it in in the mid 1990's. AAA utilizes it only for special occasions, with TNA being perhaps the sole major company to exclusively use a six sided ring. And the ring in No Holds Barred was 8 sided, not 6. Just to be pedantic.
Adam has a quick one.
The question about kayfabe breaking wrestling moves got me thinking. Has anyone ever successfully powerbombed Billy Kidman?
Yes, Dean Malenko has I believe, and/or Perry Saturn back in WCW. Shelton Benjamin has in the WWE, Vengeance 2003. So, like Flair hitting something off the top rope, it can be done.
Now this is exactly the level of excitement and convinently color coding we are so surely missing in today's world of Professional Wrestling.
Rob S asks two questions about Diva nudity and Divas getting screwed, hence giving me the perfect lead in for this week's title.
A few years ago i remember seeing a video clip online of a Miss Jacqueline "wardrobe malfunction", in which her top completely came off and she immediately covered her chest with her arms. I believe it was from a Smackdown episode, but i did not catch it on tv. Does anyone have any information on when this occured, and who she was wrestling against?
P.S. I thought that many of the Divas use some sort of tape to prevent any "wardrobe malfunctions" during matches, but i could be wrong.
No, this was not on an episode of Smackdown. This was in fact an England only PPV, WWF Capitol Carnage in 1998. Jacqueline teamed with Marc Mero against Sable and Christian. After Christian chased Mero to the back, Jacqueline was beaten down then pinned by Sable using a TKO. After this, Jacqueline attacked referee Tim White, blaming him for the loss. Tim then stood up with Jacqueline on his shoulders, and Sable grabbed her shirt from behind and pulled, leaving Jacqueline topless. After a moment of being stunned, she got down and ran to the back.
This was a wardrobe malfunction in the same way that (allegedly) the incident that created that phrase was one. That was a planned spot, with the Attitude of the WWF being allowed to go a bit more thanks to England's more lenient attitude to Nudity. Newspapers have naked chicks on page 3 over there and everything!
And it wasn't the last time a Diva would get topless on an English only PPV. At the 2000 Insurrextion PPV, The Kat defeated Terri Runnels in an Arm Wrestling contest. After this, Terri ripped The Kat's shirt off. But rather than be shocked, Kat responded by showing off her boobs instead.
Well, it's certainly a novel way to humiliate your opponent.
With the news recently of the WWE contacting Wendi Richter about appearing at the WM diva battle royal, I checked out her match against Spider Lady, which was obviously the Fabulous Moolah. The match ended in a legitimate "screwjob", but when wrestling fans think of the term "screwjob" most fans immediately think of the Bret Hart fiasco from the Survivor Series. Are there any other known instances of in-ring "screwjobs" that have occured in the WWF/WWE other than these two?
Ignoring all the Montreal references and repeats, there's only one and it's not 100% confirmed as one.
That shows the conclusion of the Sunny/Debra Evening Gown Match which saw Sable strip Debra down to her bra and panties, only to have Shawn Michaels (of course) come out as Commish and declare that as far as he was concerned, the winner of an evening gown match was the woman who lost her clothes, Shawn grabbing the belt and declaring Debra the winner.
Now, I have heard that this was a screwjob, but not from anyone I could call reliable. But it fits the time and the people involved. Sable and WWF were breaking down, their negotiations were failing, so they might have screwed her over.
Or it may have been a somewhat clever angle. It's hard to tell.
JZA asks about your NEW ROH Champion.
Actually, whilst i'm here may as well ask something no other ask 411 guy seems to know about. Remember some angry shoot style promo jerry lynn cut on JR of all people at judgement day 2001? what was the deal with that?! Was there legit heat or was that meant to build somewhere? I don't remember them doing anything with it at the time or even referencing it after, and I seem to remember him getting wished well in future endeavours shortly after.
Well, lets review the tape. The promo is at the 9:45 mark or so. Note that the first part of the video is the end of the Benoit/Angle 2/3 Falls Ladder Match for the Medals, should you feel the need to pretend that this footage does not exist or what have you.
Well, at the time the WWF was just hiring guys for the hell of it practically. They seemed to be pushing Lynn in one of those "push that isn't really a push" ways, in that he won the Light Heavyweight title in his first match in the company, beating Crash Holly for it via cheating. They seemed to be setting Lynn up as the angry young man, frustrated and such. Attacking JR in that promo was to firmly establish that Lynn was angry but wasn't angry in a good way, he was lashing out at JR, and JR is a good guy.
Or maybe they wanted to put the Light Heavyweight title on JR, WWF wasn't the most consistent and/or long term looking company at the time.
Hair care questions from JMAC
I seem to recall that back before it became en vouge to use clippers on someone losing a hair vs. hair match, wrestlers used some sort of a cream-based product to remove hair and it looked like the whole process really only took seconds before the guy was completely bald. In particular, I think this was a method most used by the Freebirds back in their Mid-South days. Maybe I'm looking at things through mark-colored glasses but do you have any idea on what might have been used back then?
That would be Chemical Depilatory Creams. They are fairly common if you look in the beauty section of your local supermarket, although perhaps not the huge bottles they used to use in those angles. They work by chemically weakening the bonds holding the hair in place and thus making it easy to remove. Of course, now days wrestlers are a lot less willing to go totally bald and half the time they end up just with a crew cut. And when they do go bald, often they want to stretch out the moment and thus the cream isn't used because it'd be too fast.
luke asked these questions in the comments section a while back. One here, one in the opinions.
What in God's name went wrong with the Light Heavyweight title in the WWF? Did they ever try and push it and get a bad response or what? It seems like one minute it was on TAKA and the next in wallowed away on Gillberg and other less than stellar champions.
Because Vince McMahon/Vince Russo had NO idea what people saw in the Cruiserweights in WCW. The Light Heavyweight belt was clearly a rip off of the Cruiser belt, but unlike that division, which featured lots of high flying, exciting matches, the WWF had the exact same type of show as the normal divisions, just with smaller guys. When you want a belt to compete with the WCW Cruiserweights, you do NOT build the division around Brian Christopher. Sure, TAKA had the belt, but Brian was the ‘star'. And that's all that was wrong at that point with the WWF, right there.
Kenneth has some questions.
I have always wanted to ask some questions to 411wrestling, but couldn't think of anything that I thought was good enough, but I'll try anyway:
1. Recently I picked up one of the Apter mags at the grocery store and I read a quote attributed to Beer Money, Inc. saying that they didn't care how they won "as long as we get the winner's share of the purse". That made me wonder--has there ever been any kayfabe explanation of how wrestlers earn their money, or how much of a percentage were managers supposed to receive (back in the day)?
Well, managers back in the day got anywhere from 10-25% (25% being the amount Jimmy Hart still got off the Hart Foundation even after he had turned on him) unless it was an angle with the client being really stupid, in which case the sky was the limit.
Nowadays, in the WWE at least, it's all about contracts, with MVP's woes with losing his performance bonus and such giving you an idea. Back in the day you were fighting for a portion of the gate takings, each match would get a percentage and whoever won got the bigger share, or some such, which explains why so many people in the mid 90's in WWF needed second jobs to pay the rent.
2. I have been enjoying watching videos on You Tube of wrestlers celebrating after winning a championship belt, and I was wondering how they feel and react when they are told backstage they are to win the belt?
Depends on the guy. Sometimes it's shock (Ivan Koloff was totally surprised at his victory), sometimes it's quiet acceptance, sometimes it's smug head nodding, other times it's thankful assurances that they'd made the right call. Every person is different. I've yet to see anyone jump around and act like they are orgasming there and then.
boy liilii asks about The Great Muta and fire.
hey i got a question that has been bugging me for a while! when i was a kid i remember a steel cage match with sting and the great muta, but in this match the cage somehow caught fire and the great muta seeing this sprayed his mist to put out the fire! do you recall this match?
Yes I do. Sting and Ric Flair vs. The Great Muta and Terry Funk, Halloween Havoc 89, a Thunderdome Cage match, Bruno Sammartino as the special guest ref. A bit of decorative canvas caught fire from the ‘electrified' cage and Muta misted out. As JD Dunn noted, ‘Only Muta can prevent forest fires'.
My Damm Opinion
Here's that 1) and 2) from Greg
1) What was the best kept secret in wrestling? The worst kept secret? (Personally the worst kept secret I think was Jericho's return to the WWE)
Best kept? Hogan's heel turn at Bash at the Beach, with special mention to DDP being the Stalker. Worst kept? Anything related to the WCW Disney Tapings.
2) How many tag team wrestlers have broken away from their tag team partner and gone onto great success? (I.E., Shawn Michaels after he turned on Marty; who else has done that. I think Nitro/Morrison would count)
This is one of those questions that appears to belong in the above section, but really it's a matter of perspective.
Assuming you mean a tag team on a grand scale and not just some tag team in the past (Jericho with the Thrill Seekers, for instance…)
Bret Hart from The Hart Foundation
Booker T from Harlem Heat
Edge and Christian
The Hardy Boys
Arn Anderson from The Minnesota Wrecking Crew
JBL from APA
Anyone else?
Damien?
Love your column. I had two questions for you:
1. Do you think superstars such as Edge, Randy Orton, Cena & the Hardys have already locked up their Hall of Fame bids or do they need a couple more years under their belts?
No-one is a lock for the HOF until they get in. At any moment anyone could say or do something and piss Vince off enough to have them removed from the WWE Universe. So while from a unbiased standpoint yes, all of them have achieved enough to warrant inclusion, they aren't locks.
2. Why is it that John Morrison hasn't received that Main Event push yet? I see so much of Shawn Michaels in him and I believe that if they give him great programs to work with he could be a major superstar on the rise.
Well, they appear to be doing so now, despite this meaning that one of the most entertaining acts of Modern Wrestling that doesn't wear a dress gets broken up because of it. Because after all, who'd want to see Miz and Morrison as Unified Tag Champs…
luke?
I'm glad it's you i get to ask this actually, since you did a lot of female editions of the ES and all: everyone knows that the 1993 - 1996 revival of the Women's title in the WWF was a disaster, with its' only heated and featured feud being ruined by outside factors (sniff sniff). Do you think women's wrestling could ever have been made to work at that point in history, and if so what would you have done booking-wise to make it work?
Honestly? It would have been near impossible, given that most of the really talented women in the world were Japanese, and WWF would never had been able to make any large influx of Japanese women work, nor the desire to do so.
Which is not to say that there weren't talented women in North America at the time, but the true top flight talent tended to be Joshi. But, the question is asked, so I'll now answer it. Skip to the next in bold bit if you don't care about my fantasy booking.
So, if I was given the book, and free reign/limitless money/no politics, I would have run an Invasion angle, of sorts. Start it in late 95, say. Have Bertha Faye defending her title against Blayze (like her or not, she was the best/only choice for the leading face… Hell, the belt was brought back specifically for her) on a Raw. Alundra manages to fight off Harvey, German Bertha and win her title back. Have, hell, the 6 Japanese women from Survivor Series 95 (Tomoko Watanabe, Lioness Asuka, Sakie Hasegawa, Kyoko Inoue, Chapparita Asari and Aja Kong playing Queen) suddenly storm the ring and just mug both girls. I'm talking a severe, major beatdown. Harvey runs away as the women (all wearing shirts saying "The Tokyo Kin" or something) just beat down Alundra then injure Bertha, Kong taking her out with something over the top.
Blayze, of course, refuses to back down, and demands retribution, and gets a match against Kong at Survivor Series, for the title. Alundra manages to beat a few of the women in 1 on 1 matches but always gets beat down and then always gets back up. But at Survivor Series, she gets squashed and loses the title.
You then have Alundra form her own army, bringing back in the Jumping Bomb Angels, as well as a few American girls. The two sides battle constantly, a 10 woman tag match at the Rumble featuring Blazye pinning Kong to win, Kong's first loss. This leads to Blayze/Kong at WM, Blayze wins, then gets turned on by whoever became her number 2 in her army, as the Kin also splinter up and you form tag teams and such.
That's the short version.
The Hitcher gets the last questions this week.
My question today is more of an opinion, do you think WWE will change the Spinner Belt anytime soon? I thought they'd have done it by now, after all it's Cena's belt (and even still has ‘RAW' emblazoned on the side-panels). I've been expecting a change ever since Trips won it, but no dice. I'd have thought Vince wouldn't have wanted his most prestigious strap to look like a piece of sh*t once it was no longer connected to the marketing juggernaught that is John Cena. Add this to the fact that they still sell the Brock Lesnar Undisputed WWE Title on WWE.COM, I think it's a no-brainer (although even that belt could do with tweaking, looks too much like the old IC Belt).
I too would LOVE a return to the Undisputed belt, since I thought that belt was insanely cool. But sadly the Spinner belt is both popular with the kids AND is now divorced enough from Cena that it's not identified with him. I mean, I guess it's ‘modern', but I still think it looks like crap. But sadly, we appear to be in the minority.
Next question about belts (no I do not have a fetish) do you think the IC Belt could get some of its mojo back if it reverted to the original style?
No. It needs a revamp, but not a reversion. The IC belt design has lasted far too long.
Last question. With the inclusion of the Ultimate Warrior in the Legends of Wrestlemania game, there was talk of a Warrior/Vince reconciliation. We know this may not be the case as UW may have dealt with Jakks directly in order to appear in the game. However, the Warrior has been getting mentioned A LOT recently on WWE.COM, and most recently by both Edge on Raw, and a rather funny Ultimate Warrior promo by John Morrison on The Dirt Sheet (with UW Logos in the background – owned by UW Creations Ltd apparently). With the Warrior apparently being so touchy about the usage of his image/name etc, and the not so long ago Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD, do you think this recent turn of events make it likely we may see him again in a WWE ring? He's been completely incognito since his comeback match last June; I'm thinking he may be hiding in parts unknown, lying beneath lawnmowers, getting roided up and growing out his hair, maybe Gorilla-Pressing Jericho or Vince at WMXXV??
Well clearly this didn't happen, but as the saying goes, Never Say Never. But the Morrison Warrior promo I believe can be argued as parody and thus is not sueable. But you can never tell with Warrior. Or Vince.
That's really the final word on the subject. Both men love money, and if they ever see the same pile of money and they can get it by working together, they will. But it's still a long shot.
I'm gonna say False....and Dean Malenko was in both. Now he's a WWE Agent or something.
Posted By: Brian C. (Guest) on April 14, 2009 at 11:21 PM
False. Jericho.
Posted By: karp (Guest) on April 14, 2009 at 11:21 PM
Also, Malenko.
Posted By: karp (Guest) on April 14, 2009 at 11:22 PM
False. Jericho!
Posted By: Guest#5309 (Guest) on April 14, 2009 at 11:37 PM
"True or false: No-one who appeared in both WCW/nWo Revenge and WWF No Mercy is still employed by WWE."
False
Chris Jericho (active wrestler on Smackdown)
Dean Malenko (WWE Road Agent/Producer)
Posted By: James Malfitano (Guest) on April 14, 2009 at 11:47 PM
So wait, in response to the question. Are we counting Big Show?
Either way, both Malenko and Jericho are still employed by the wwe.
Posted By: Jbone (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:10 AM
The "Goldust" that Savage drops the bow on is most likely a conquistador...
Posted By: Tim Haught (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:25 AM
what about me?
Posted By: big show (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:37 AM
How about Steve Austin from The Hollywood Blondes, Batista from Flair & Batista (I know they were all part of evolution, but for a while Flair and Batista were their own tag-team), Los Guerreros,
Posted By: Kristian (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:40 AM
To be fair,, the WWE Title carried by HHH is a slightly different belt than the Cena belt. No longer does it have the MON NITE RAW or SMACK DOWN sideplate, but just a copy of the plate from the other side :WWE Champ. The spinner is not simply held in place by a rod like when HHH and Orton feuded last year and the rod would slip and we would get a slight spin: oh no. This baby is raised and fused to the belt itself. The backing to the giant W is different as well. See it in HD or in a picture and you too can notice.
Posted By: DigitalJesus (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:41 AM
Eddie Guerrero's name is still employed by WWE
Posted By: Yohoho (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:42 AM
Eddie Guerrero's name is still employed by WWE
Posted By: Yohoho (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:49 AM
what about me?
Posted By: big show (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:37 AM
big show appeared on wrestlemania 2000, not no mercy.
chris jericho, dean malenko, but i'm not sure if perry saturn is still employed behind the scenes.
Posted By: csonkamaniac III (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:52 AM
what about me?
Posted By: big show (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:37 AM
while big show was emplyed at the time he did not appear in no mercy if i am not mistaken but jericho and malenko are the only ones i can think of too
Posted By: seabass (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:53 AM
Dawn Marie was with Simon "pat kenny" Diamond.. not Johnny Swinger.. just saying.
Posted By: Neuce6 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:58 AM
i too, have long been waiting for the riddance of the damn spinner belt. i don't care if it doesn't spin anymore, i'm sick of it's ridiculousness. i hate to say it, but i've actually gotten to the point where i can accept it. but, i think that old hhh-undisputed-style one is more traditional, and would probably look better for the company.
Posted By: Csonkamaniac III (Registered) on April 15, 2009 at 01:08 AM
Scott Steiner went on to success after an impressive tag team career..
Posted By: Bobby Dee (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:11 AM
Big Show wasnt in No Mercy. You could make him in create-a-wrestler but you needed a Game Shark to get the face.
Posted By: Mr. Horse (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:21 AM
"Kevin has a few issues to raise himself.
1. I seem to remember a WWF program during 89-91? During the opening, very quickly they show Randy Savage nailing a flying elbow onto what appears to be Goldust? Even thought this was a good 4 years before he debuted. Am I on crack or did this happen?"
It was probably a Conquistador. They had like 50 of those.
Posted By: J. Mack (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:22 AM
man i miss the old school wwe ppv themes of the early 90's! they were so cool. i know the wwe now wants to use music from recording bands for their ppvs, but the old school themes were classic. each ppv had their own exclusive theme, and when u heard them, u instantly knew which ppv it was from
Posted By: guest (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:45 AM
False. Jericho, Malenko, and to an extent, The Big Show (who can be unlocked through a gameshark)
Posted By: Supro (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:53 AM
Besides the UK PPV, Miss Jacqueline did have a "wardrobe malfunction" during a bikini contest which was hosted by Jerry Lawler, I cannot remember if it was a PPV or TV
Posted By: Rogue.9 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 02:06 AM
Ron Simmons - Doom to World Champion
Scott Steiner - Steiners to World Champion
Sid Vicious - Skyscrapers to World Champion
Posted By: Rogue.9 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 02:15 AM
I thought Chief Morley would have been a better character if he were an Indian. And I assume the most entertaining wrestler who wears a dress in your opinion is Santino Marella? I guess that would be funny to someone who is four years old AND on drugs
Posted By: Guest#2068 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 02:44 AM
Jacqueline's wardrobe malfunction at Capital Carnage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyeXJ8B8vyk
Posted By: Ricky C. (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 02:53 AM
Didn't Dawn Marie hook-up with Kurt Angle? Isn't that the rumor that use to run rampant?
Posted By: Creepy Old Young Man (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 03:00 AM
Mathew I just get so turned on by your columns.
I see you there sitting at a computer all sweating and in your boxers and I get so hot for it.
I LOVEEEEEE your column.
Posted By: TAT (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 03:04 AM
I have a question. Why are you so sexy?
Posted By: Michelle (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 03:04 AM
I think he was referring to Miss Jackie (Haas), not Jacqueline (Moore). Which explains why he believes that it happened on an episode of Smackdown.
Posted By: Guest#7857 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 03:08 AM
I recall a rumor that Dawn Marie and Kurt Angle had an affair when the two were on Smackdown around 03-04. I think that's what the question was referring to.
Posted By: Guest#3108 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 03:42 AM
In regards to your true/false question, I didn't see anyone answer with Rey Mysterio yet...
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 04:15 AM
No, this was not on an episode of Smackdown. This was in fact an England only PPV, WWF Capitol Carnage in 1998. Jacqueline teamed with Marc Mero against Sable and Christian. After Christian chased Mero to the back, Jacqueline was beaten down then pinned by Sable using a TKO. After this, Jacqueline attacked referee Tim White, blaming him for the loss. Tim then stood up with Jacqueline on his shoulders, and Sable grabbed her shirt from behind and pulled, leaving Jacqueline topless. After a moment of being stunned, she got down and ran to the back.
---
Jackie had a nipple slip at the Fullly LOADED ppV, as well as twice on Raw. One of which wwas very obvious during a match with Sable. The second including Lawler saying "Did you see that" and Jim Ross stating "...I didnt see a thing."
Posted By: Guest#5334 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 04:42 AM
An England only PPV? *Tuts and shakes heads* No dear boy the rest of the country got to watch it too.
Posted By: Terrance (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 05:12 AM
false- Jericho was in both
Posted By: christian (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 05:19 AM
Blade Runners - Sting and Warrior
British Bulldogs - Davey Boy Smith
The Acolytes/APA - JBL
Great Column as always
Posted By: Matt (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 05:25 AM
Man, people sure do bitch about any little thing they can, eh? I enjoy the column myself, try to read it every week.
whoever keeps busting your balls about kayfabe is probably from the southern US, or trained by someone of that influence. Not a fan of that area myself.
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 06:44 AM
If you think about it, the answer is neither True, nor false. Or is it Paul Rome, whomever he is. No, in fact, the answer is Paul Roma.
Posted By: It is always Paul Roma (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 07:01 AM
when the cage caught fire during the Muta Sting match,referee Tommy Young climbed up and tried to put the fire out with his bare hands. Now that is hardcore. Theres a question whatever happened to Tommy Young the ref. Hima nd Flair worked really well together,because Young would neve take any of Flairs crap even knocking him on his ass a couple times.
Posted By: Guest#4939 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 07:32 AM
Re: Topless Chicks in wrestling.
What the reader may have been thinking about is the time Jacqueline went topless on RAW. Yes, it did happen. Jacqueline was battling Sable (I think) in an evening gown match when the former's dress slipped down to reveal her bare breasts. Since the show was live, WWE used the much-hated wide shot for the duration of match. It was hard to see, but Jacqueline was definitely topless as she scrambled to cover her breasts.
Posted By: Wesgr81 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 08:28 AM
Rogue.9 - You are thinking of Fully Loaded '98 - Which also had The Rock vs Triple H in a 2 out of 3 Falls IC Title Match and was main evented by Stone Cold & The Undertaker vs Kane and Mankind for the Tag Titles... this was a VERY good PPV.
Posted By: Guest#1063 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 08:40 AM
James storm had a good singles run after the split from AMW.
Also, wasnt it reported that Raven broke down and cried when he was told he would win the NWA strap at Slammiversary 05?
Posted By: Russonomics (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 08:47 AM
Kurt Angle was the SmackDown! star rumored to be involved with Dawn Marie
Posted By: Tom (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 09:12 AM
Actually there was an episode of RAW where one of Jaqulines boobs popped out and it was shown on TV, not only shown BUT they came back from the break and showed a replay...The Kat also ripped off her shirt at a pay per view here in the states as well..
Posted By: The Legend (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 09:13 AM
Also, don't forget about one Mr. Mean Mark Callous.
I think the most egregious omission is probably the Blade Runners, which is one of the few tag teams where BOTH members go on to be superstars.
Posted By: Jbone (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 09:17 AM
Sting and Warrior, Blade Runners to World Champions
Posted By: in that case (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 09:37 AM
Awesome Kong had a wardrobe malfunction in a ppv match when she got flipped over the top rope, her "floppy-joppys" came out of her warrior garb. It was both the greatest and worst thing that I've ever witnessed. Keep up the good work, jobber.
Posted By: Angry Bear (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 09:52 AM
I want to add another vote for the "Goldust" actually being a Conquistador. That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw he question.
Back to work: Most wrestlers have been tag team wrestlers at some time in the past, but I guess we're only talking long term.
The Undertaker (Formerly Mean Mark Callous, also of the Skyscrapers)
Chris Jericho (formerly of the Thrillseekers)
and,for that matter, Lance Storm (Thrillseekers and Impact Players)
Davey Boy Smith (formerly of the British Bulldogs)
Sting and the Ultimate Warriors (Formerly the Blade Warriors)
Posted By: Ray Church (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 09:54 AM
It is also worth noting that Cena has commented that Vince told him that the Spinner belt was the most expensive belt they had ever commissioned. I don't think Vince is going to just hang it up in the office after dropping that much money on it.
Posted By: Pete (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Jericho was in both games.
Couple of other things. I though Dawn Marie was with Simon Diamond, not Swinger. Lastly you said Sable teamed with Christian for the European PPV, and she was actually teaming with Edge, not Christian as you had mentioned.
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on April 15, 2009 at 10:28 AM
The Undisputed title was probably my favorite design of all belts, with the big round belt that the Rock wore as a close second.
Posted By: Da Chump (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 10:39 AM
False, Paul Roma is currently portraying Rey Mysterio
Posted By: Palmdale (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 10:52 AM
I thought the best-kept secret in wrestling was Kurt Angle going to TNA. Not even Dave Meltzer knew that was going to happen.
Posted By: APinOz (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 10:58 AM
false. Stinko Malenko still works as an agent....i think. He WAS in the Revenge game right?
Posted By: guest (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 11:05 AM
False: Jericho and Malenko.
Pointing out the difference between eight and six sides isn't pedantic...it's pointing out the difference between right and wrong.
Posted By: neverAcquiesce (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 11:20 AM
the goldust savage question was probably a conquistador.
Posted By: AOD (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Shane "Dean" Douglas was awarded the title in like 95 and NOT the EARLY 90's. So the correct answer to the question is NO.
Posted By: Guest#7446 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 11:35 AM
I remember Gorilla Monsoon giving the Kafabe perse share of a match was 60% for the winner and 40% for the loser, however if a person loses by DQ or countout they get no money and the other guy still got 60%.
Posted By: RAF (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:18 PM
"Bret Hart from The Hart Foundation
Booker T from Harlem Heat
Edge and Christian
The Hardy Boys
Arn Anderson from The Minnesota Wrecking Crew
JBL from APA
Anyone else?"
Ummm, Sting from the Bladerunners? And come to think about it, the Warrior too.
Posted By: Guest#7638 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:29 PM
"Which is not to say that there weren't talented women in North America at the time,"
It is true, because there weren't. So don't bullshit people.
Posted By: Guest#5325 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:31 PM
what about me?
Posted By: big show (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:37 AM
You're still fat.
Posted By: John Cena (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:34 PM
"2. Why is it that John Morrison hasn't received that Main Event push yet? I see so much of Shawn Michaels in him and I believe that if they give him great programs to work with he could be a major superstar on the rise."
Part of the answer has to do with his still-weak promo style. I know that IWC fans like to promote him as the next big thing and ring presence and skill-wise, he's there. But you need to be able to cut a realistic, believable promo to be taken seriously in the main event.
Morrison's promos are still too wooden and forced and he wouldn't make a serious challenger for HHH or Cena yet. Surprisingly, Miz gets a lot of crap from the IWC, yet he's much better at promos than Morrison (although lesser in the ring).
If Morrison can get past the dry and tiresome Jim Morrison references and get to the promo level of Randy Orton or Big Show (probably the two weakest examples of main event guys with just enough promo ability to be taken seriously), then perhaps he can take the next step.
Posted By: Brad B (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 12:57 PM
Why couldn't they just do a backstage promo where Cena and HHH switch belts? HHH having the bling belt and Cena having the Ric Flair Special is retarded.
The IC belt is fine as is, IMO. It just needs some love in the booking dept.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:25 PM
"Steve Austin from The Hollywood Blondes"
The Blondes didn't last very long. Months? So while entertaining, not a true team like the Foundation or Heat.
Posted By: demOcratic (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:31 PM
Last week, a reader asked about Gorilla Monsoon talking about the "external occipital protuberence". That's just a fancy way of saying "the bump on the back of his head". I was a mark for that when Monsoon talked that way. I thought he was really knowledgeable about the human body. He also said things like the "patella became subluxated" or some such techno-jargon. It just meant that the guy dislocated his knee cap, is all.
Posted By: Chico (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 01:38 PM
"During the opening, very quickly they show Randy Savage nailing a flying elbow onto what appears to be Goldust?"
More than likely, it was one of The Conquistadors . . . the masked jobber team from the late 80's early 90's . . . before E&C reprised the gimmick for their feud with the Hardyz.
Posted By: McLovin (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 03:21 PM
"Last week, a reader asked about Gorilla Monsoon talking about the "external occipital protuberence". That's just a fancy way of saying "the bump on the back of his head".
No, it meant their nose. Look up each word in the dictionary and come back.
Anyone said Kevin Nash from the Master Blasters?
Posted By: Ryan W. (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 04:40 PM
Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens were long-time AWA tag champs and then Bockwinkel went on to be a long-time AWA champ.
Posted By: guestgkc (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 05:04 PM
Here's a really depressing trivia question I came up with:
Which game featured more characters who are now deceased: WCW/NWO Revenge or WWF No Mercy?
By my count it is 8-7 for No Mercy, although that includes Andre the Giant, who was already dead when the game came out.
Revenge: British Bulldog, Chris Benoit, Brian Adams, Curt Henning, Eddy Guerrero, Rick Rude, and Miss Elizabeth.
No Mercy: Andre, Big Bossman, British Bulldog, Chris Benoit, Crash Holly, Eddie Guerrero, Fabulous Moolah, and Test.
(And yes, you're welcome for brightening your day.)
Posted By: Jeff (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Dusty Rhodes left the Texas Outlaws and won the NWA title.
Rick Martel was tag champ with Tony Garea and went on to win the AWA title.
Posted By: You wanna piece of me Stid (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 06:47 PM
LOL Mathew, thanks for posting the vid.
McMahon "It's time for the RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLE, IT'S TIME FOR THE ROYALLLL RUUUUUMMMMMMMMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEE!
Posted By: The Don (Registered) on April 15, 2009 at 07:06 PM
"Last week, a reader asked about Gorilla Monsoon talking about the "external occipital protuberence". That's just a fancy way of saying "the bump on the back of his head".
No, it meant their nose. Look up each word in the dictionary and come back.
Anyone said Kevin Nash from the Master Blasters?
Posted By: Ryan W. (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 04:40 PM
---------------------------------------
Thank you. I did that.
As follows;
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Occipital bone
The occipital bone, a saucer-shaped membrane bone situated at the back and lower part of the cranium.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patella
The patella, also known as the knee cap or kneepan, is a thick, triangular bone which articulates with the femur and covers and protects the knee joint.
Posted By: Chico (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 07:08 PM
Morrison sucks. He is blah. He is boring. He cant work.
Posted By: JfM (Guest) on April 15, 2009 at 10:07 PM
"The Blondes didn't last very long. Months? So while entertaining, not a true team like the Foundation or Heat."
Um, what? The Blondes, by Austin and Pillman's own admission, were broken up because they were getting more over than the top talent. They also ended up being one of the more influential tag teams of the '90s despite their short time together. So yeah, they count.
Surprised no one's mentioned:
Owen Hart from High Energy and the New Hart Foundation to main eventing against Bret
Taz from his teaming with Sabu that lead into one of ECW's biggest rivalries
RVD from his also teaming with Sabu when he first arrived
Curt Hennig and Scott Hall were one of the AWA's top tag teams before they became stars
Flair and Greg Valentine were also a successful team before either went onto greater fame
I think the point is that tag teams are a great way to help get new talent over, break them in, and let them develop before they get the big push to the top. WWE occasionally uses this philosophy but has pretty much ignored it. It's probably why guys like Orton draw as much hostility from the IWC while someone like Edge doesn't. Edge was one of the last WWE guys to get to the title the old fashioned way, whereas the Ortons, Batistas, and Cenas have kind of just been given everything from the start.
Posted By: Guest#7926 (Guest) on April 16, 2009 at 02:00 AM
Ron Simmons breaking away from Doom... within like 2 years was world champion
Posted By: Jerry (Guest) on April 16, 2009 at 08:34 AM
Jericho was in both - easy one
Posted By: Wrasslin_God (Guest) on April 17, 2009 at 10:27 AM
also malenko and you could get a cheat to unlock big Show's face and you could copy his moves etc in CAW mode
Posted By: Wrasslin_God (Guest) on April 17, 2009 at 10:28 AM
1. Who designs the stages/titantrons?
2. Was there any reason on why Triple H didn't hit the Pedigree on Batista on their match at WM21?
Posted By: Ray A (Guest) on April 18, 2009 at 03:04 AM
To find The Great Muta spitting out the flame at The Thunderdome Cage Match of Halloween Havoc '89 go to:
Posted By: Guest#6480 (Guest) on April 20, 2009 at 09:29 PM
My wife, who is also from Finland, went into a Helsinki church one night. It was packed and the only place she could find was a spot right next to Ludvig Borga himself. She said he was a stoic and very tense looking man.
If anyone wants a larf, try to find Tony Halme's 'Viikinki' music CD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFa8-R78P8
One last thing... I played an old WWF promo for her. It was of Borga coming out to do an promo against Lex Luger, if I remember right. Before the interview, he muttered something in Finnish to all of the fans. She got wide eyed. According to her, he basically said the equivalent of 'All of you American shitheads can go fuck yourselves and your mothers while I crap on your fathers' graves.'
Or something like that. In any case, she was like, 'wow.'
:)
Posted By: Christopher Warrior (Guest) on April 22, 2009 at 11:05 AM
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