Ask 411 Wrestling 01.18.06: Demolition Ax, One Night in Chyna, Kane the Undertaker, More!
Posted by Gavin Napier on 01.18.2006
The embarassment continues as we look at people that hate me, people that don't, lots of information from co-workers, fantasy booking, the best in the business, fantasy booking, One Night in Chyna, fantasy booking, the shortest question ever, and fantasy booking! Oh yes, and there's fantasy booking in this HUGE edition of Ask 411!
I have myself a bit of a moral dilemma here. I could go on a tirade and tell you how awesome Final Resolution was, especially Joe vs. Daniels. I could tell you how I'm happy that Peyton Manning choked again. But you know what? I'm going to skip all that, because there's someone out there that needs to get something off of my chest. I'm willing to bet he didn't think he'd get his letter printed. In fact, I'm willing to bet there's a couple of guys this week that didn't think they'd get a letter printed. But, enough chit chat. Let's get down to business. We'll start with Jay.
I noticed you made no corrections from your previous column. 95% of your answers lack detail, are brief, or are completely wrong. I also take notice you fill your posts with opinion questions so you can't be wrong as often and so you dont have to spend time on the column.
If you dont want to do it right dont do it at all I say. I dont want to hear how you're busy. if youre that busy resign. Your attempt at Ask 411 has been the most futile of all of the men who have ran this.
This column used to be the BIGGEST thing on the site, now it's just horrible. Why don't you ask Ashish to show you old columns written by Craig Letawsky or Brian Cole, those two guys either knew the answers or took the time to research them.
When you're wrong POST THE CORRECTIONS. Someone needs to take this column from you and spare you any further embarrassment.
And by the way....the Atomic Drop and Inverted atomic drop were NOT created to injure the private area of the male. The moves were created to jar the spinal column.....people just began selling the move by selling that their ass or crotch area was in pain, one of the best at this was Rick Rude. Again go back to the 70's and prior and watch the moves performed....they are legal because when they were created they werent intended to be used for what they became famous before. I mean seriously the Atomic Drop, once upon a time was a finisher for then WWWF champion Bob Backlund. If the move was only used to injure your ass it sure gave Bobby a lot of wins!
Do it right or go away, This column has been a disgrace for a year now.
This is an opportunity for me to be a jerk. This is a chance for me to get my feelings hurt and rant and rave about a lot of things. Instead, I'm going to try to do this the right way. I make corrections when they're sent to me, and if they're actually corrections. If I make a mistake, it's an honest mistake, because blatantly lying about something would be pointless and silly. So if I've made a mistake, and nobody calls me on it, how am I supposed to correct it? I've never claimed to be a know-it-all. To be quite honest, I volunteered to do this column as much for the opportunity to learn stuff as anything. As for "filling" my columns with opinion questions...I can only use the questions that are sent to me. And this may shock a lot of people, but I use every question that's sent to me as long as it's not multiple questions from the same person. Even the ones I don't know and can't find. You'll recognize those by the fact that I openly ask for assistance on a pretty regular basis. If you don't like the opinion questions, write me a letter next week telling people not to ask them and I'll post it for you.
My attempt may have been futile over the last thirteen months, but I've stuck it out for a while and had fun doing it. I volunteered for it because nobody had been doing it for a while and I felt like 411 needed it. It's amazing how nobody wanted to do it until I started it. Since then, there have been PLENTY of people inform me that not only do I suck, but they could do it much better. Well, whatever. Ask Ashish or Larry or Randle for your own column. That's not me being a jerk and saying "I have a column and you don't." That's me saying that if you can do this better than me or anyone else here on 411, then we need you here. So man up and ask for a column if you think you can.
I don't ask Ashish to show me the columns because I know how to use a search function. But in all seriousness, if this thing isn't as big as it used to be, I'd like to know why I keep getting 80 e-mails every week that I didn't get before I started doing this. Because it makes sorting through personal e-mails a little tougher. And you know, I don't feel good about myself because I get that many e-mails. In fact, it just reminds me that I'm little more than a wrestling geek with a column on the internet. Shockingly, that does little for my ego and I don't bring it up much when I try to hit on women.
In fact, the only part of this letter that even remotely bothers me is the insinuation that I don't put time into it. I have a full time job and a semblance of a social life - both of which I enjoy very much. The spare time that I have after those two things is largely devoted to this column. Right now? It's about two in the morning and I have to be at work in six hours. I'm not complaining, because I could very well go to bed and just do this tomorrow afternoon. I'm just letting you know that it probably takes more time to do this than you realize. In a slow weak, with 30 to 40 questions to sort through, this column takes a total of about five hours, spread out over a couple of days. In a normal week, with about 60 to 80 e mails of various nature, this takes about six or seven hours. This week? Because of a glitch with the new format with 411 that's being worked on, I've got about 90 e mails spread out into two accounts that I need to get through. So yes, sometimes answers are breif. Sometimes I get things wrong. But if you think that it's not time consuming, you can feel free to pucker up and kiss whichever part of my anatomy you find the least appealing.
As for being a disgrace for over a year now, that can only lead to one response from me. If it sucks so much, why do you keep reading it? That seems sort of masochistic on your part.
Next up is Rob Grosch, Jr. who wrote a lovely little note to me, then signed it "no name necessary".
Edge as World Champion? I love it. I absolutely freaking love it. And it's for no other reason except that I knew it would completely piss you off. There's something very satisfying about one of you internet dorks whining and moaning like a little schoolgirl when something happens that doesn't go your way. Not that Edge needs help defending him from a putz like you, but if having a guy as champion who can have a good match with the right opponent and has shown the ability to cut promos and tell a good story gets your masturbating-to-workrate bunchies in an uproar, then I suggest you cease and desist watching and go back to your little midget X-division 360 degree suicide swanton plancha matches that no one gives a rat's ass about three seconds after they're over.
Now see, I think it's cool that you care enough about what I think to get emotionally invested in my opinions. Also, you may want to watch about calling someone an "internet dork" when you're writing an emotional letter to an internet wrestling column. Pot, kettle, black, all that stuff. If it helps you any at all, I don't masturbate to workrate, although that's a catchy line that could have been used for a Hyatte column. I just don't enjoy Edge as a professional wrestler or sports entertainer. He's right up there with Hogan and X Pac and Justin Credible for me. Do I enjoy the X division? In the words of the PSP squirrels, hellz yes. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels at Final Resolution was a clinic in ring psychology, workrate within the confines of a storyline, and just a great match in general. It made both guys look good, there was no silly stuff, it furthered the characters of both men, and progressed the three way storyline between Joe, Daniels, and AJ Styles quite nicely. But you may not have enjoyed it. And that doesn't upset me because I understand that people are allowed to have different opinions and it's not a big deal to me. You apparently haven't grasped that yet. If you think I'm a whore for workrate, I'd like an explaination as to why a nearly 60 year old Ric Flair is still my favorite wrestler, why I enjoy JBL matches more than anyone on Smackdown, and why I find Monty Brown to be so much fun. I never have figured out what it was about having an opinion that's not like theirs that pisses some people off so much, but it's more annoying than the clap. Not that I would know from experience, or anything.
So there you have it. Two guys that think I suck for whatever reason. Honestly? I'm sorry they feel that way. I think I'll live, though. Nobody's forcing them to stick around for the fun, and enough of you tell me you enjoy this column to make it worth my while to keep doing it. Until one of my bosses here at 411 tells me to stop doing what I do or the e mails stop coming in, I'll keep doing this. If you don't like me, that's fine. I probably don't like you much, either. But Jesus loves us both, and that's what's important. I do my best not to come off as arrogant or condescending, because there's no need for me to be. I quit including the compliments that people send me when I post the questions because I don't want it to sound like I'm blowing my own horn. I'm humbled every week by the number of people that e mail me, let alone e mail me with a compliment. When it gets right down to it, I'm nothing more than a fan that has the benefit of a well-read place to vent my opinions and talk about wrestling. If what I come up with isn't your cup of tea, 411 is full of guys with quality stuff that you're more than welcome to check out instead. My feelings won't be hurt, and neither will theirs. For everbody else, it's time to get into your regularly scheduled Ask 411.
I goofed on the whole Thundercage question last week. For whatever reason, Thundercage didn't trigger an association with Thunderdome in my brain, and I automatically went with the triple cage that WCW used in it's dying days. As many of you pointed out to me, the question was more likely referring to the Thunderdome cage that saw Ric Flair and Sting take on Terry Funk and the Great Muta. It was electrified at the top, and made for an interesting time. When the wiring went bad (or was it planned?) and the thing caught on fire, Muta put it out with his mist. If it was planned? Extremely cool. If it wasn't? That may be the best use of the mist ever. There was also a non-electrified version of Thunderdome that saw Lex Luger take on Ric Flair. In yet another variation on the match, there was a "team" concept at a Clash of the Champions that saw Sting, Dustin Rhodes, and Cactus Jack defeat Vader, Barry Windham, and Paul Orndorff. Regarding the original question, do I think it could still be viable? I think it could with the right storyline, but I wouldn't look for it to be dusted off any time soon.
Douglas Kalish helped out by reminding me that Austin Idol was in the Mid-Southern territory, not Mid-South.
Paul M. is like Fox News - fair and balanced.
Hi,
My question is what the hell happened to your articles? They use to be pretty good and answer a lot of interesting questions at once, and usually a least a few of them would be new to me. Are you just not getting any new ones anymore? Lately it's just been,
"I thought of this fantasy booking idea, what do you think?"
Fantasy booking is the biggest load of crap in the IWC (that name for a group of people that write articles on wrestling for free is lame as well, but you know that) that people think people want to sit down and read it. Let alone as you, and you want to sit there and talk about. Maybe you'll devote an entire article talking about what a great booker random e-mailer austin316therockaustin@hotmail.com is.
Just wondering if you just ran of out interesting questions.
Oh, and you're right, Vince doesn't want wrestling people running the show which is why I stopped watching. I don't know anyone that watches WWE anymore. If the rumor is true, and he told Joey Styles to focus on the "stories and drama" and not just the wrestling he's lost his mind. He runs a wrestling company, and that's all he'll ever run. I watched RAW for wrestling, not acting, the rest of television is full of shows with good television writers (and we all know if someone was a GOOD television writer they aren't writing for WWE which by comparison is a traveling circus to be honest). Who wants to see John Cena try and act? Just wrestle and do something that makes me sit up and be interested.
Rock becomes famous in movies and Vince launches his movie company and doesn't even care about wrestling anymore, it's just a platform to do other stuff.
Best tag team finisher? Power'n'Glory
To be honest, I enjoy the fantasy booking stuff. It's something that I think comes along with being a fan. As a kid, you get the toys and you can have the matches that you'll never see on television. You're doing fantasy booking. You read Apter mags with the Dream Matches, and you're reading fantasy booking. It's just like playin Monday morning quarterback with the NFL. You wonder what if, you have your own ideas, and you explore them. Is all of it good? No. Most of it? No. Some of it? Yeah, it can be fun. But if that's what people send me, that's what people send me. I don't really have any control over that. Of course, if you really think fantasy booking is all that lame, you probably either didn't read or hated it when I was doing Perfect Hindsight. Yeesh. I would have hated to see the mail I got from you on that one.
Anyway, the lack of "wrestling people" in WWE is disturbing. It's like even the wrestlers aren't wrestling people anymore. The preview with Kane in it looks like a passable horror flick, but I don't want to see Kane acting. I want to see him wrestling. Kind of. You get what I mean. It's just another one of Vince's side projects that's doomed to fail in time.
And you know what? I actually thought about Power and Glory's super sweet Superplex/Splash combo about two days after the column went up last week. I'd still pick Total Elimination over it, but it's definitely up there.
Matt Gonzalez is apparently the bane of Paul M's existance.
Here's a quick idea, please humor me. I feel bad for Batista's latest injury. The guy seems like a nice enough guy, and I know his wife has cancer, so this must be a terrible blow for him. I personally feel that despite his "greenness" in the ring, he really makes up for it with his charisma. He's pretty good on the mic, funny, and seems to be waay over as a face. OK OK here's the idea:
I think, in the long run, this injury might work out great for his character. I believe they are putting the belt on Angle for now.
Have Angle work his magic, be the top heel and do his thing making everyone hate his guts.(One of the best ever at that IMO) When Batista comes back, have Angle on the mic doing his schtick about best in the business, etc. Cue Batista music, enter Batista. Face off. Have Batista take off on something like "That's really great Kurt, but just one little problem.....you never beat me for that title!"
I think that could be a great program. Angle doing everything he can to keep away from Batista, and Batista using his claim that he was never beaten for the belt to gain more face heat for himself. Angle keeps frustrating Batista, who can never seem to get his hands on him. Classic storyline. And Angle can carry anyone on the mic or in the ring. I think this would be great stuff not only in terms of building Batista back up to "Animal" status, but also just great TV as well. It would also be great for big Dave to step in the ring with Angle. It couldn't hurt, and Angle could really help him with a great match. The talk outside the locker room is that Batista is a very enthusiastic learner, so who better than Angle to give him a bump and some OJT? Opinion?
The only problem I have with that scenario is Batista's age. He's either in or near his 40's (depending on which source you're looking at) at this point, and apparently the tear in the tricep was pretty nasty. He seems to be a little more injury prone than most main eventers, and I'm not sure if that has something to do with his age or...other things. He's torn a bicep muscle twice, now torn his tricep, and was working through a back injury anyway. Not a good sign if you're looking for longevity out of Dave. But your program works. It's back to basics booking that works consistently. They could certainly do worse than something like this.
Richard Parker sent me a novella, but I'm breaking my own rules because I want to. Don't get used to it.
1) WCW Starrcade 1999. That alone should answer my question, but for argument's sake... Sid and Kevin Nash had a "Powerbomb Match" where the first person to do a powerbomb won. In the match, the referee gets knocked out before Sid can hit his powerbomb, so the match continues. Whilst this ref is out, Jeff Jarrett comes out and brains Sid with a guitar-shot. The referee wakes up and Nash just TELLS Sid he hit his Jacknife, and the ref takes his word for it?!?!?! If this is how a match is gonna be called, why even assign a ref? Was there ever any explanation for this (ie. Nash legitimately couldn't powerbomb Sid or the ref was in the nWo's back pocket?). I mean, c'mon!
2) This is a tall order, but make me proud. Explain (if there is any "on-record" reasoning) the discontinuation of Lethal Lottery/BattleBowl, WarGames, the King of the Ring tournament, the TV Title (and it's rule of time-limited matches), "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal", and "The Grand Finale Match of Survival". Looking back, I think it's gimmicks like these being absent from today's product that makes things so lame and redundant. When I was a kid, I lived to simulate these with my action figures and these have made for some of the best matches to dig up when I get nostalgic. So what the hell gives?
3) A few weeks ago someone inquired about the Bill Eadie (Demolition Ax) heat with the WWF. Now, Demolition's my favorite tag team of all time (keep in mind, I grew up with JUST WWF as a kid and that's usually the stuff that sticks hardest) and I've always wondered why the hell they brought Crush in, had them give all their thunder to Legion of Doom (especially considering they were WWF's LOD up until then), and subsequently jobbed them out of the company sans Ax - I mean, that match with the Japanese guys at WMVII is an embarrassment. So what the hell happened and was their burial a result of the Ax situation or was that after?
Mr. Parker also informed me that I'm the only person he knows that doesn't dig the blue-bars cage. I guess it's just a matter of opinion. I grew up on NWA stuff first, so the mesh cage was what I was used to. The raking of the face, the bloody messes, all that good stuff. Anyway, let's get these three excellent questions taken care of.
Explanation? In late-era WCW? You must be joking. I checked some results but didn't see anything that specified who the referee was. If it was an "nWo ref", then sure, that would work. Otherwise, it's something akin to what we saw at Final Resolution with AMW and Team 3D. The ref didn't see the pin, just the supposed aftermath, and so he declared someone the winner. It seems kind of convoluted, but it works to get heat for the heels if it's followed up on. Of course, we know that didn't happen in WCW, but in theory, it wasn't that bad.
I wish I knew why the matches were discontinued. As you said, they were a ton of fun, and it's a crime that they've disappeared. Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal sort of lives on as the occasional "RAW Roulette", but the rest are just gone. King of the Ring got discontinued after a string of non-eventful winners. There was a time when it was used as a legitimate steppingstone to bigger things, as even King Mabel got a main-event run out of winning it. But then Billy Gunn and Edge went nowhere with it, and the thing just seemed to lose a lot of meaning. They could bring it back, but I'm not missing it right now. Battlebowl/Lethal Lottery was a lot of fun until they started doing obvious stuff with it. If two guys were feuding, you knew they would end up on the same team. If there was a tag team, you knew their members would end up on opposing teams. And heel stables? Gauranteed to get at least one tag team in the thing. If they went back to truly random teams, it could be a lot of fun again. Don't get me started on the lack of War Games. I keep hoping SOMEBODY will dust it off sometime soon. TNA could pull it off in a couple of ways, actually. Maybe...AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Ron Killings, and The James Gang could take on Samoa Joe, Petey Williams, Bobby Rude, Konnan, and Homicide? Maybe we could get Sting, Christian Cage, Rhyno, and Team 3D taking on Jeff Jarrett, Monty Brown, Abyss, and AMW? War Games is the greatest gimmick match in history. It needs to be brought out immediately, if not sooner.
Health problems, as mentioned here before, are what took Ax out of the ring and brought in Crush. It was shortly after that when Randy Culley (the original Smash) and Bill Eadie filed a lawsuit claiming ownership of the Demolition gimmick. We all know that going against Vince in court is a one way ticket to jobberville, and that's what Demolition got. The squash at Wrestlemania was just the icing on the cake, and Ax was gone soon after. Thanks for the letter, and here's hoping everybody visits you at WRANKmusic.com. Cheap plug!
Andy from Glasgow, Scotland asks about the WWF/E's most famous non-brothers.
Hi i have two questions the first is , was the undertaker ever known as kane the undertaker and if so did no-one think of another name for his brother and secondly do you think kane should have had a decent title run?
Yes, The Undertaker was known as Kane the Undertaker when he debuted. Should someone have thought of something better for his "brother"? Yes, probably. But that's also a pretty good reflection on the state of "creative" in WWE for a while now. Should Kane have had..or GET..a decent title run? Why not? He's a big guy, which Vince loves. He's been a company guy, doing every ridiculous thing that's been asked of him over the years, and he should be rewarded. I wouldn't do it on RAW, but Kane as a five or six month Smackdown champ? No reason not to.
Kevin Stitt brings up horrible memories.
My question is simple. Have you seen One Night in Chyna and how appalled were you? A friend showed me it last night and i am disgusted with myself for agreeing to watch it. To say I am ashamed is an understatement.
I've seen pictures, never braving the actual video. It's horrifying. Appalled is more of a word for something that disgusts you and makes you want to vomit from emotional trauma. What Sean Waltman and Joanie Laurer came together to produce is a physically disgusting thing that sould never have been viewed by the public. Atrocious. My sympathies are with you. Good luck getting those images out of your brain.
Michael Weyer is another one of those devilish fantasy bookers.
I can't explain how but I found myself thinking of one of the old "Superstar Dream Match" things the Apter mags used to put out and I suddenly thought of what a WWE/TNA supercard would be like. I narrowed it down to a few I think would be top matches and thought you might have opinons:
Pre-show: Naturals vs MNM (sue me, I think it'd be a fun match)
20 man Gauntlet match: From WWE: Rey Mysterio, JBL, Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Chris Masters, Lashley, Orlando Jordan, Gregory Helms and Chavo. From TNA: Elix Skipper, Kip James, B.G. James, Austin Aries, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams, Bobby Roode, Konan, Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelly.
Divas Battle Royal: Trish Stratus vs Gail Kim
TLC IV: Matt Hardy & Edge vs Jeff Hardy & Christian vs Team 3D/Dudleyz
Survivor Series Elimination: Evolution Reunion: HHH, Randy Orton, Batista & Ric Flair vs Planet Jarrett: Jeff Jarrett, Monty Brown and America's Most Wanted.
Monsters Ball/Hell in the Cell: Undertaker vs Abyss vs Kane vs Rhino vs Big Show vs Raven vs The Bogeyman vs Sabu.
Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe
John Cena vs Sting
Main Event Ultimate X match: Chris Benoit vs Christopher Daniels vs Rob Van Dam vs AJ Styles
Do I have opinions? Much to the chagrin of others, I sure do! It's nice of you to send me an opinion question, because these things really type themselves and are done instantly and require no time or thought. I appreciate you cutting down on the workload for me. End sarcasm. In all seriousness, I think it's cool that people are actually starting to lump these two together on occasion. It shows how much progress TNA has made. My card? Probably something like this -
The Naturals vs. MNM WOULD be a lot of fun.
Monty Brown vs. Chris Masters
Ultimate X Cup - Team TNA (Chris Sabin, Matt Bentley, Austin Aries, Petey Williams) vs. Team WWE (Rey Misterio, Paul London, Kid Kash, Jamie Knoble)
Triple H vs. Jeff Jarrett (of course).
Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle is brilliant.
America's Most Wanted vs. Team 3D vs. The Mexicools vs. Big Show and Kane
Sting vs. Shawn Michaels
AJ Styles vs. Chris Benoit
Abyss vs. JBL
Christian Cage vs. Edge (of course)
And a Survivor Series style final that sees Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Sting, and America's Most Wanted take on John Cena, Shawn Michaels, HHH, Edge, and Ric Flair. You could play with matchups all day long and come up with a lot of really good stuff. Like who's going to take on Carlito? What about the Diamonds in the Rough? Shelton Benjamin? Roderick Strong? Fun, fun, stuff. For some people.
Matthew Behrman is getting impatient.
hey long time no see gavin I was wondering why vince is hyping the RAW gm storyline he siad he announce the new gm if bichoff is fired (IE shane) but he did some "Interviews" and not saying anything besides screwing shawn why no gm yet?
I think it's because either Bischoff is coming back or Bret Hart will fill the role. Either way, we almost have to know something before Wrestlemania....don't we? I'd say Vince had a jonesin' to get back on television and this was his way to do it. It also sets up him vs. HBK at Wrestlemania..and that's where I think Bret steps back into the picture. Time will tell if I'm right or wrong.
Nick is smarter than he gives himself credit for.
This has been bugging me, but there's probably a really simple explanation. Why on WWE recap shows and certain hype videos do they only show still shots from recent PPV's instead of actual footage? They have the ability to show the actual clips, why not do so all the time? Is it just a cynical grab to get more people to order the replays?
At the risk of seeming like a jerk, your question really only warrants a one word response: Yes. They want people to buy the replays, so they show you "exciting" stills. It's silly, but it probably works a little.
DarkNightwolf101 makes his weekly visit to the column.
What ever happened to ran Anderson. I haven't seen him since 2001, when ric flair was CO owner of the wwe.
ran Anderson is currently working as a road agent for WWE under the alias of Arn Anderson. You can occasionally catch a glimpse of him when the road agents are picked up on camera backstage.
Next, we delve into madness with Rusty Nailz.
check this out lil gavin...i'm a lil tipsy and I know you're focused onyuour own comments, but i'mg onna type this how it comes....it really doesn't matter,b ecause most of the E sseems like's it drunk anyway...fuckin Camndaian rum...anyway, Edge sucks and I never like the guy, but at least it's a change of pace... the whole sex scenen was styupid, but I tuned in to the last part, and at least kCena got over....granted, I did not watcj tje the whole show, but I did HATE the tage team match, even with two of my most fav's of all time, but the whole Angle debacle is stupid, and I'm glad he won the SMD title....Cena is cena wether u like him oor not so....and yea, i found the whole "sex" thing stupid, but apparaently other ppl didnt so RAW did a huge rating...All i gotta say is...if that's how shit's gonna be....fuck the E, I'm just gonnna stick with TNA for the time being...Man, u guys are right tho...certain ppl will ALWAYS watch the E, but i pledge not to from this day forth...good lookin out cuzzo...~
Right on, man. Fight the power. I'm not really sure how else to react to this one, but I'm glad I could provide a place for you to vent, buddy.
Here's a disturbing letter from Almeta Beveridge!
My question is this, I remember on an old WWF Coliseum video release (World Tour 90 or 91 can't remember) there was a match between I think Roddy Piper and maybe The Million Dollar Man, where at the end, Piper knocks Sensational Sherri down and the camera ZOOMS in on her crotch, and the "hair fetish guys" are treated to an extended viewing of her pubes. Does the WWE get to show things on video that they can't show on PPV? I mean I understand the cable tv aspect with kids viewing and all, but PPVs seem like they could be more "R" rated than what they are. What's the deal?
I've thankfully never seen that video and hope to never see it, so I can neither confirm nor deny that happening. I wish I could deny it for everyone's sake. Anyway, they probably CAN get away with more on video, and they could do more on PPV legally, but the problem is advertising. If they push things too far, advertisers will start dropping out, not wanting to risk the association with the product. And if you watch RAW or Smackdown, you know that they run the same five or six commercials about thirty times in two hours, so they really can't risk losing any more advertisers. It's all a part of the corporate game.
Super Genius Chris Clarke from Fink's Payload sent me a little note on the cages.
Hey there, Chris from the Fink's Payload here. A little internal
memo :)
The story you told about the two cages isn't quite right. I've read a
ton of the WWE books, and they all complain about the blue cage
actually is MORE realistic than the mesh - in that it HURTS BAD. It
had no give, was steel and all that stuff. So, while it may be
cartoonish, they retired it because of injury-potential.
Also, it takes a heck of a lot longer to set up than lowering the mesh
too, no?
Chris Makes sense. I guess I just sort of phrased things wrong when I noted "Realism". I should have qualified that with "edgier" or "more extreme-looking" because the mesh cage certainly LOOKS more dangerous. But the super-thick bars of the cartoonish cage certainly did pack plenty of injury potential. And you're right - I'd imagine setup is tremendously easier at this point. Thanks for the note. Now, everyone go read the Payload when you get done with this.
Diesel asks about a couple of really tall guys.
Its been way too long since it happened for me to remember, but what was the whole deal with the Giant Gonzales vs Undertaker fued? I dont even remember Giant Gonzales from anything before or after his fued with Taker.
Harvey Wippleman sent his new charge, Giant Gonzales, after the Undertaker for the reason of being a heel manager sending a heel wrestler after a face wrestler. Gonzales was legitimately huge, and that was supposed to bring an aura of danger into the thing, as we were led into believing that the Undertaker couldn't possibly deal with someone that enormous. As we all know, he did. Rather convincingly. And the furry muscle suit was soon retired. Gonzales was also known as El Gigante in WCW, a 7'7" failed prospect of the Atlanta Hawks that Turner decided to move into WCW. He had little to no ability, could barely speak English, and was generally a bad experience all around.
It's Spyros Gazetos time!
Big John Studd is a classic big boy. Even as a kid in the 80's watching wrestling, despite his heelish tactics, I always felt sympathetic towards him because he almost always got the short end of the stick when wrestling Andre (with the exception of the haircut).
1. What happened to Studd AFTER Andre went heel before and after Wrestlemania III? Did he break away from the Heenan family and was there an official breakup on television? I cannot recall this at all.
2. What led to his return to win (I believe as a face) the 1989 Royal Rumble?
3. Was the 1989 Royal Rumble his last real "hurrah"? Can you confirm if the bookers gave him the win as a "thank you" for years of good service? I ask this because he got the win, and if you watch the post-match celebration, and you analyze his facial expression and the way in which he waves to the crowd, he has a look in his eye that is saying "thank you fans"... Please advise.
I am REALLY glad that the WWE placed Studd in the Hall of Fame. Even though a lot of fans like to rip into the big wrestlers, remember, it is not easy being 7 feet tall and carry around a 400 pound frame. All the things that we take for granted, like getting into a car, sitting on a plane, and sleeping in a hotel bed is a challenge for all the big guys. They also unfortunately have shorter life spans. You gotta love the big dudes. At the end of the day, I am sure that even the smarks and purists will admit that they were floored the first time Paul Wight threw a drop kick, or when Yokozuna or Andre first walked down the aisle, or when Vader ripped his first wicked top-rope moonsault. Thanks!
Good letter. Studd spent 1987 away from the WWF, and apparently away from the business. He was gone from the WWF by the end of 1986, and didn't show back up until early in 1988. Odd situation there. If anyone has any details, feel free to e-mail me. Or keep them to yourself since I don't include corrections in this column. Ever. Upon his return, he was a fan favorite and broke off his relationship with the Heenan family. I wouldn't call his return in 1989 a farce, because they seemed intent on renewing a form of the Studd/Andre feud. The two did several things on television to build up to it, and when Andre started teaming with Haku, it was countered by Studd teaming with Hacksaw Jim Duggan. For whatever reason, it never materialized as Studd left the promotion again in 1989. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease shortly thereafter, which leads me to believe health issues may have ended his career prematurely in 1989. I can't confirm the thoughts behind booking Studd to win, but it makes sense in a way. Of course, wrestling is a selfish industry, and booking him to win the Rumble on his comeback may have very well just been a way for them to create a viable face upper card guy with a recognizable name. And yeah, the big guys do get a bad rap a lot. More than they deserve, unfortunately. Thanks for reminding me (us?) how cool they can be.
Jobez "Kid Cairo" Ferguson has stumped me.
Did you ever notice that long-time NWA/WCW guys always wore their kneepads on their shins or just below the knee? Flair, Arn, Windham, Steamboat, & Blanchard, Pillman, etc. In contrast, WWF guys like Savage, DiBiase, Piper, & Santana always wore the pads directly on the knee. Am I the only one who's noticed this? The kneepad thing really irritates me and I have no idea why! But if they're KNEEpads why not wear them on the knee? Just a thought.
Wierd. Of course, Sting and Luger always wore their kneepads on the knee, so maybe it's just a personal thing. Of course, I can't think of any WWF/E guys that wore them on the shins. I'm baffled. It almost HAS to be a personal preference thing, or maybe whoever trained the guys wore them in a certain place. Regardless, good eye. With the heels, like Flair, it kind of makes sense. He'd have the kneepad a little lower to do the big kneedrop and get "more" damage. I keep rolling this over and over in my mind and I can't come up with anything more logical than that. Google is no help at all, but you probably knew that since I don't ever research questions and make things up as I go along. Whatever it takes to get done faster, I suppose. If I come up with anything concrete, I'll let you and everyone else know, but for now..just assume it's personal preference of the workers.
Here's Pete Gas, everybody!
I would rather see PETE GAS with the belt too. That guy was so awesome, I used his name for my e-mail address. What do you think of that?
I think that's just about as fancy as one man can get.
J-rilla has a much better memory for inane commentary than I do.
Uh, not to step on any toes, but I remember on the payperview when the Undertaker fought RVD for the Hardcore championship the king asked J.R. why he called him "Booger Red" and J.R. replied "because he's got red hair and he's as nasty as any booger you or I could could dig out!"
Hm. I'm not sure how to handle that. I thought I was pretty good for pulling out the actual definition of Booger Red, but this is much more fun than a "real" definition. Thanks for passing it along. J-rilla was also one of the folks to line me out on the big blue cage thing, noting that it was easier for fatties and Hogan to navigate. He also chimed in on another topic that's going to be taken care of in just a moment.
This letter comes to us from Steve from Jersey. And yes, I AM including it just to piss people off.
Hey, what the hell as long as i'm writing to you how would you book WM22 reasonably? Here's my idea.
Raw:
RVD vs Edge for the world title. Have RVD win the royal rumble and seem like a real threat for the title. Match ends with a missed ***** splash leaving RVD prime for a spear and Edge retains. Sorry, I know you hate him, but i think Edge is a pretty hot heel champ.
Cena vs HHH...not sure how I'd lead up to it, but i'm sure that match will be part of WM, just not sure whether or not one of the 2 will be champion going into it. Match ends with several false finishes and Cena goes over with an FU.
Big Show and Kane vs Carlito and Masters...hey I dont like any of them but show and kane need to be part of WM, and Carlito and Masters seem to be getting reaction lately. New Tag champs via cheating.
SD:
Taker vs Boogeyman...I hate both men, but "Taker is a WM staple, and a Taker vs Boogeyman feud writes itself. Taker remains undefeated
Booker T vs Rey Mysterio...US title Mysterio goes over with a 619.
Lashley vs JBL...Lashley seems to be getting a good push and seems pretty good. JBLwins cheaply.
Angle vs Orton...Angle will be face by WM, and will get past Orton. Yes I realize at least one world title should change hands at WM but i honestly cant see the point of doing it here.
SD and RAW
MNM and Matt Hardy vs Shelton Benjamin Chavo Guerrero and Ric Flair...6 man tag Raw vs SD. Match ends in a double DQ/Countout.
MAIN EVENT: In February Vince McMahon announces the Hall of Fame inductees, he announces 5 names or so, and then announces Bret Hart, who comes out. Vince says "oh by the way, you'll only be inducted if you'll admit you were wrong in Montreal." Bret, furious, storms out only to run into HBK on the entrance way. HBK says he's seen the light, and knows it's better to be on Vince's good side than his bad...tells Bret to apologize, or he'll make him apologize and starts warming up the band. Benoit then comes out and tells Shawn to pick a fight with him, not a stroke victim. Match is set...HBK with Vince in his corner vs Benoit with Bret in his corner. Match can only end when your cornerperson throws in the towel. Bret's HOF induction is on the line. The match is a ***** classic. Benoit puts HBK in the sharpshooter, HBK taps, but Vince refuses to throw in the towel. Bret walks over, punches out Vince, and throws in Vince's Towel.
I realize that this almost certainly wont happen, but hey a man can dream.
Know what? That's not bad. It's not what I would do...in fact, I think I did this once before, but things have changed and I'm going to do it again.
First, we need dark matches of sorts. Something to entertain the HEAT crowd. In that light, since things suck right now for these guys, I want Gregory Helms and Rob Conway taking on Viscera and Val Venis. From the Smackdown! side, I want Orlando Jordan taking on Stevie Richards. And, in an inter-brand match, Trevor Murdoch vs. Sylvan. I'd put over Viscera and Val and push them as a tag team, Stevie Richards and push him to the cruiserweight title (I know he probably doesn't meet the limit but this is my fantasy booking so there), and I'd have Murdoch and Sylvan start a long-distance relationship across brands.
From Smackdown!
Cruiserweight Title Scramble Match: Kid Kash (c) vs. Jamie Knoble vs. Funaki vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick vs. ???. Paul London apparently wins before the last entrance comes in. Who is it? None other than Lance Cade, who stuns everyone by jumping to Smackdown and scoring the title win.
Smackdown! TLC Tag Title Match: MNM (c) vs. Psicosis and Super Crazy vs. Regal and Burchill. The more grounded team pulls the upset as Regal and Burchill walk out with the tag titles.
United States Title 30-Minute Ironman Match: Booker T (c) vs. Chris Benoit. With the added stipulation of the loser leaving Smackdown, Benoit gets a 2-1 win, sending Booker T to RAW.
Undertaker vs. Boogeyman. You're right. It writes itself.
From RAW
RAW World Tag Title Match: Big Show and Kane (c) vs. Snitsky and Tomko. Oh, the horror. Nobody wins, especially the fans.
Intercontinental Title Match: Ric Flair (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin. Let the kid ride his winning streak into Wrestlemania where he takes on the greatest of all time. Then the comeback is completed after a 15 minute modern classic that sees Shelton snare the IC title CLEANLY. Shenannigans with Mrs. Benjamin and Flair? Nah.
Triple H vs. John Cena. Just because you know we're headed there. I choose Triple H to go over.
HBK vs. Vince McMahon. Same as above. I also say this is the return of Bret Hart.
Inter-brand shenannigans!
Masterlock challenge! Chris Masters vs. Bobby Lashley. Lashley dominates the Masterlock all to hell, which results in a vicious beatdown by Masters. One or the other switches brands subsequently.
Carlito vs. Randy Orton. Let some nonsense happen at the Royal Rumble, and let Carlito establish himself a little more with a win over Orton.
Main Events!
WWE Championship match. Edge vs. Rey Misterio, Jr. Edge carries things a little too far in brutalizing Chavo in a title defense on RAW and disrespecting Eddy's memory. Rey puts a stop to it and forces the WWE's hand in making a match with Edge. Because I hate Edge, Rey wins this and gets a shot at carrying the ball that many people think he deserves.
World Heavyweight Championship match. Kurt Angle vs. the newly face JBL. JBL is disgusted with Angle's disrespect for the troops and psuedo patriotism. A clothesline from hell readjusts his attitude and puts a big shiny belt back on the Texan.
That's my Wrestlemania 22 for now. Ask me next month and it'll be different.
Steve is confused by recent ppv events.
Hey its Stephen Again. I got another question for you. I ordered my first PPV in about....6 years. The last time I actually ordered a PPV it was a WCW PPV and I don't remember the card for the life of me. But This Sunday i got together with some buddies and ordered New Year's Revolution. I have a few questions to ask about this PPV that starts our PPV year. Why is the set a giant dragon? Why did they do that little promo with Edge to kinda give away the ending? What could POSSIIBLY come out of this whole Lawler beating Helms thing?
My guess on the dragon would be the relation to Chinese New Year, which is customarily symbolized by the dragon-costumed folks running through the streets. Either that, or lots of drugs. Why did they do the promo with Edge to give away the ending? Because they can't distinguish between foreshadowing and giving things away. What can possibly come out of the whole Lawler beating Helms thing? Probably a release.
Dan Montero is my new favorite because he sent me the shortest question ever. And since I don't put time into this column, anything short makes me happy.
Thea Vidale???!!! That's my question.
That's everyone's question. Or it should be. Enquiring minds want to know. She seems to be doing as okay with it as anyone could, though. The angle is dumb and shouldn't have ever happened, but since it did....why not?
Roadwarriorkev double dips. And I allow it!
Q.1 A few years back, RVD was challenging for the World title and to guage fan reaction they teased an RVD title win only for the decision to be reversed for some reason. It was not on PPV, I think it was on RAW but my question was who was the champ he faced. I had a feeling it was Taker. Can you help?
Q.2 Is there video footage of Ric Flair's title win over Randy Savage to win his second WWF championship?
Answer 1 - On May 20, 2002, RVD faced the Undertaker in the main event of RAW for the world heavyweight title. RVD pins him and is awarded the WWF title. However, Ric Flair restarts the match because Undertaker's foot was on the rope, and the Undertaker rallies to pin RVD following the Last Ride.
Answer 2 - Yes. Head over to www.crazymax.org and ask for Flair's 2nd WWF title win from September 1, 1992 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. You should be flooded with people willing to help.
Joe Littlejon gets into family business.
i was watching WCW up all night and they said that Terry funk's cousin is ''Dirty" Dick Slater . Did you know anything about this?
I know it's been mentioned repeatedly through the years, but I've never seen verification of it. Even the great Gordon Solie simply said "the alleged cousin of Terry Funk, Dick Slater is..." If anybody knows for sure, let me know.
Nestor Mateo is back with some comments on cross-fed continuity.
you're right about how not much people down in orlando doesn't know much about ring of honor (maybe tna should promo their dvds). probably if roh & tna combined it would sound like it would be the combination of something surprising. but eh...it
would depend on mr. j-e-double f...j-a-double r-e-double t if he hears a lot about from styles, daniels, joe, & other roh wrestlers. oh & if a aries vs. joe match happens in tna for the x title all i gotta say is...aries' gonna be joe's bitch...bottomline.
i know that homicide now part of tna thankz to his debut along with his other latin american exchange members (name sounds kinda gay to me, but whatever). if tna decided on wanting to have apolo & k-dogg be added as the tna version of the rottwielers, if they include the havana pitbulls and julius smokes (funny ass guy too), what's gonna be the deal with low ki? i
know i heard that both ki & tna had a problem after his last showing with the tag title tournament with daniels thus the reason why he hasn't been on there. if you hear anything about ki & tna, it would help shed some light on this issue...YEAH YEAH
YEAAAAAAH!!!!
Low Ki is still going strong over in NOAH, and I haven't heard anything about any plans to return to the states. I don't believe that Low Ki and TNA left on bad terms or anything like that, it just seems like he's carved out a nice niche for himself in Japan. If and when he returns to the states, he'll only be better because of it. Imagine Joe going on a tear for another few months before Low Ki comes down the ramp to put a stop to it once and for all....could get a huge reaction from the crowd and we already know that they can deliver the goods.
Okay, I was taken to task pretty good on the inverted atomic drop thing. I was asked why it was legal if it hit the no-no spot on wrestlers. Well, My thought was that it was just something overlooked. I was informed by many people that it's legal because it either compresses the spine from the tailbone up...or it's designed to attack muscle, not gonads. Silly me. I thought bringing a guy's balls crashing down onto your leg was a groin attack. HOWEVER! I am willing to accept the tailbone and muscle explanations because wrestling is wild and wacky and just doesn't make much sense sometimes.
Craig Lowery questions some dangerous teamings.
Being a long term fan I was wondering who you would rank as the most dangerous/unstoppable wcw/wwf/wwe tag champs were?
When ever my friends and I talk about this I always go back to the team of Taker and Austin back in the attitude era. Austin was champ and Taker was no 1 contender and they both looked unbeatable.What do you think? Heres some other names that get mentioned:
Goldberg/Hitman, Angle/Benoit, Taker/Kane, Rock and Sock connection.
Cheers.
The Road Warriors were as unstoppable as they came in the mid 1980's. Andre the Giant and Haku were pretty awesome for the WWF, too. Undertaker and Kane, as well as Kane and The Big Show both LOOK pretty unbeatable. The Outsiders in WCW had a deathgrip on the belts for a long time, too. And if you go to Japan, there are teams like Hansen and Brody as well as The Miracle Violence Connection. Big, bad, teams have been a staple of the industry for a long time now. Here's hoping they don't die out with a suffering tag division.
Chris Nichtern saw some blurred lines between reality and fiction.
I recently watched Halloween Havoc 1997. At the end of the Piper-Hogan cage match Piper is being assaulted by the entire NWO, many dressed as Sting. Then, a fan dressed as Sting scales the cage and jumped in to try to help Piper but was taken down by security. It seemed legit until Hogan and Savage starting taking shots at the fan. My question is, was this legit or a plant? What was the point of it?
This was a confusing situation for those of us watching at home. Turns out, the fan was legit, just like the guy that pushed the ladder over on Eddy Guerrero. I don't know what posessed him to climb a cage, but he went for the gold and got himself into a world of hurt. Hogan and Savage took their shots at him for the same reason Eddy took his shots at that guy - protection. Once you hop the railing, you're in their world and you're on your own. What was the point of it? I guess to impress his friends. Hope it was worth it for him.
Mike Mays looks down from on high.
First, I wanted to say I love your collumn. Secondly, where did scaffold matches go? I remember as a kid watching The LOD, Midnight Express, and the Rock N' Roll Express in some matches that made my 10 year old chin drop. The biggest image I have is how absolutely terrorized Bobby Eaton appeared up on the scaffold.
I wish I could share the fondness for this gimmick match, but I just don't. I'd be surprised to see scaffold matches make any type of comeback outside of CZW or IWA. They're risky, generally don't have a lot of action, and one or more people usually end up getting hurt. They're a heck of a way to blow off a feud, but there's simply too much money invested in athletes these days to drop them 15 or 20 feet or more in a match.
Brian DeVenne misses Carlito's ex.
Whatever happened to Jesus(Hey-Zeus)? Him and Carlito came in together, and it seemed as if Jesus would actually be pretty good had he not been injured. They released him shortly after the fight with Cena, but it wasn't his fault he was hurt. I haven't seen or heard anything about him? Maybe you know.
Aaron Aguilera has been doing indy appearances literally around the world since his release. He's appeared for Ultimate Pro Wrestling, has become a semi-regular fixture in Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and has put some time in for AWS. He seems like he's dedicated to making himself better, or at least sticking this thing out. Best of luck to him.
Me and John Pritchard are on the same wavelength.
One of my favorite finishers of all-time was Tully Blanchard's "Sling-shot Suplex". I'll admit that it probably has a couple flaws--it isn't really "high impact" compared to some more modern finishers nor can it be applied to all wrestlers of whatever size or ability (if Tully ever got big Dusty with it, I don't remember it)--but IMO all that was mitigated by how great it looked visually. Since Tully retired, however, I don't recall any WWE/WCW wrestler who has used it as a finisher, or even as just another spot in their moveset. (I don't follow any fed other than WWE so there may be wresters in TNA, Japan, indy feds, etc., that are using it.)
I wondered if it was possible that the ring ropes are more or less "springy" than they used to be or maybe, for safety reasons, the top rope is taller than it was in Tully's day and that makes it impossible to perform now. Neither seems likely to me though--it just seems like a great move has been forgotten. Do you know of any reason why this move has disappeared?
I wish I had an answer for you, I really do. The Slingshot Suplex is one of my all time favorite finishers, and I think it would work perfectly as a finisher these days. I've seen a couple of guys pull it out here and there, but nothing regular by anyone of great importance. There's no reason for it not to be used, because it is, as you said, a fantastic move visually. Somebody like Bob Holly, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin could use it in WWE if they need a change of pace on their finisher and have something credible and something for Joey Styles to talk about before he gets fired for being good at his job. I digress, though. I guess we'll just have to hope the move makes a comeback or watch a bunch of old Tully tapes. Neither is a bad situation.
Luke Southworth asks a question that's going to get me into trouble.
Who, in your opinion, is the best all-around performer in America today- taking into account wrestling ability, mic work, and general in ring emotion. Personally I'd go for Samoa Joe, but Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and CM Punk are all good candidates.
It's a short list. AJ Styles is my favorite guy in the ring right now, but the mic work is still evolving. At least I hope it is. RVD...hasn't been seen in forever, so until I see how that knee injury affects him, I can't put him on the list. I enjoy Joe in the ring, not as much on the mic. Daniels is probably the only guy from TNA that is elite in EVERY category right now. In WWE? Kurt Angle has it. Everything he does, he does right. He plays the fans on the mic, plays them in the ring, and is good every time out. Ditto for HHH, and I don't care if you get mad about it. HHH cuts great promos when they don't go on too long, and he's usually involved in the best match on the card at WWE ppv's. And Ric Flair, at close to 60, still has it. Is he the Flair of 1988? No, but he's still better than 90% of the industry.
Rickmond Wong asks about the birth of a title.
when shane douglas threw down the NWA championship belt and picked up the ECW title, was it a shoot or work? i can't see the NWA authorizing that or playing along, yet according to the history of ECW dvd, the NWA commissioner came out in the following weeks to condemn douglas and his actions. i think i read in your column last week that local wrestling organizations 'bought in' to the NWA or something; who called the shots in that case and if it was a shoot, how did ECW manage to get away with it?
It was very much a shoot. Shane Douglas was the main responsible party, and a lot of people tried to talk him out of it because he'd be burning a lot of bridges. Well, that's what Shane Douglas does, so he did it anyway. Eastern Championship Wrestling was all set to become THE NWA affiliate. They had other plans, obviously. They got away with it by making a huge set of enemies and being willing to take the risk. Douglas was looked down upon in a LOT of circles for what he did, but the move obviously paid off, and it almost crippled the NWA to the point of extinction.
Zach N/A thinks Samoa Joe is out of control.
I've been watching wrestling on and off for quite a while now and I'm just wondering, what is your opinion on undeafeted streaks in wrestling? The WWE uses them for new superstars, but they usually only last for a month at the most. The Samoa Joe streak is ridiculous in my opinion. He's an entertaining wrestler, but he needs to lose a match so when he has matches like him against Jushin Lyger (like he had at BFG) I won't know without a doubt he will win.
I think if used sparingly and booked properly, undefeated streaks can be fantastic. Example: Goldberg. They turned him into a monster and consistently booked him well. The only problem was, they didn't know how to book his first loss without ruining things. In TNA, they've turned Samoa Joe into a machine that's just running through people, and it's working. You have a pretty good idea most of the time about Joe winning the match, but they've planted seeds that keep you watching. I thought there was a chance that Daniels would get revenge and get his belt back at Final Resolution. Watching the match, you just got the feeling tht Joe was going to pull it out somehow. They put him in the ring with AJ Styles, and you've got two marquee guys going at it with the good probability that one of them is going to lose. It'll be Joe eventually. With Joe, TNA has made sure that his first loss is going to be something special. Ideally, they run him for a couple more months and put him in an NWA World Title match with someone and he loses THERE. Why? Because it gives Joe another level to aspire to, even after a monstrous undefeated streak. And beating the guy that's tore through literally everyone else on the roster makes the new champ look pretty good in the process.
Patrick has noticed a double standard.
To hype the rumble, wwe.com has old footage of wrestlers cutting promos right before the rumble. (i miss those promos backstage during the ppvs btw). one clip was for the 1992 royal rumble where the title was on the line. they had clips of randy savage, sid, undertaker, ric flair, hogan, jake the snake and a few more. now, in those promos, everyone claims they will be winning the WWF title belt tonite, and they let everyone say WWF and/or World Wrestling Federation with no censoring..but for some reason they censor hogan everytime he mentions WWF or World Wrestling Federation. this goes for a few other clips i've seen on wwe.com. why is it that they let everyone else say WWF, even if they're still around like flair and undertaker, or gone like savage and sid. censoring wwf is a bit more understandable than censoring world wrestling federation, but it seems they let everyone else in old footage say both but hogan. any thoughts as to why?
My only guess on this is that they edited Hogan's stuff first when the lawsuit came out, because they knew he'd be their prime source of footage from the old days - at least that was the intention. By the time they got done with that, they realized that old audio footage wasn't going to be that big of a deal and have since left it alone. The other possibility is that they just haven't gotten around to editing all of the other footage yet.
Luna Beam brings back a blast from the past...er..future?
Recently you answered a question about The New Breed. They were my favorite team at the time and it reminded me of something. My question is about Chris Champion. I read that in 2002 he suffered a serious stroke in Tennessee and
was in critical condition but since then have heard nothing about him. Do you have any idea if he is still alive? If so do you know how he is doing and if he has returned to wrestling at all since then?
Mr. Champion recovered remarkably well and is still involved in indy promotions in the mid-Tennessee area. He teams with Blackie West on occasion, does the occasional singles match, and books the action for SWF. You can check them out at http://www.swfwrestling.net/index.html , but not until you finish reading my column!
Brad Areida has some memories. Real or not, they're memories.
I'm a HUGE Phenominite and have followed the Dead Man's career for the last 10-12 years. When I was younger, and 'Taker was brand spankin' new in the WWE, I vaguely remember a Saturday morning episode where Team USA was fighting another country, and Lex Luger came out to say that they had a new member for their team. Out comes 'Taker and he gets in the ring, opens up his trench coat, and there is an American flag sewn into it, obviously accepting the invitation to join Team USA. No one I talk to about this remembers it whatsoever. Can you confirm or deny this happening?
I don't remember it, but that doesn't mean much because 95% of my answers are wrong anyway. I'll go with what I found on a couple of other websites, though, and say that it DID happen! Several reviewers and recappers remember this event fondly. It's got me interested enough to see if I can find a tape of it somewhere,because it seems like a cool moment.
u_wfinnegan is looking for some relatively obscure stuff by today's standards.
quick question, do you know of any where i could find some tapes of Pampero Firpo? my dad is obsessed with the guy and ebay just isn't cutting it for me. any information on Firpo would be great too. he would get a real kick out of it, as he was a huge fan of wrestling back in the glory days with the Funks, Samoans, Chief Jay and of course "the Missing Link" Pampero. thanks man.
Pampero Firpo wrestled on 5 different continents; 21 foreign countries; all 50 states; and had 6,881 bouts. Juan Kachmanian retired from wrestling and worked for the post office until retiring from that profession as well. Firpo had feuds with top babyfaces throughout every territory he worked for and built a reputation for being a legit tough guy when necessary, but well-liked and respected in the back at the same time. My best advice for you is to check out www.crazymax.org and ask for old Firpo tapes. Best of luck to you on tracking it down.
