Ask 411 Wrestling 03.22.06: Dream Card Extravaganza II, Samoa Joe and Hogan
Posted by Gavin Napier on 03.22.2006
By request, Dream Card Extravaganza II !!! As far as questions go, we examine why Samoa Joe does or does not rule, ditto for that Hogan guy, a thumbnail of my top 10, and more. And DREAM CARD EXTRAVAGANZA II, for crying out loud!
In the famous words of Darrell Waltrip, boogity, boogity, boogity. Lots of stuff to get to this week, so no fancy intro.
Paul Henderson leads off, and is pretty straightforward about second guessing us.
What ever happened to the Killer Bees. Could not believe they did not make the top 50. Or for that matter the tream of Beefcake and Valentine.
I agree on both counts. I'm pretty sure both teams made my personal list, but I couldn't swear to it. As for the Bees, Brian Blair was elected to the County Comission of Hillsborough County in Florida in 2004, and as far as I know is still involved in the political scene there. Brunzell continued on the indy circuit until the mid 1990's when he hung up the tights as much as any wrestler ever does.
Bruce Ketcham wants a little more clarity.
The one question this week was " Are Sherri Martel and Rick Martel related. " You said not biologically. Are they still married?
Maybe I missed something major, but Sherri Russel "Martel" and Richard Vignault "Martel" are not and never were related in any way. Like I said, maybe I'm just completely in the dark on something here.
Bryan Jones delves into economics.
When people talk about which wrestlers in history drew the most money, do they factor in inflation? If a guy today draws the same amt of $$$ Hogan did in the 80's, it would probably be considered a flop since a dollar is worth less than it was then. It's like a film that does poorly today in the box office, would still make more $ than the highest grossing film of say 1950..because tickets cost more. Does wrestling have a way to accuratley judge the revenue of it's performers?
Doubtful. Mainly because it would be hard to get a concrete fix on how much a wrestler actually draws. If you adjust for inflation and consider global drawing power, I still maintain that Andre the Giant is the greatest draw of all time. He packed out houses like Stone Cold, The Rock, Hogan, Flair, and everybody else, only without the benefit of mass media behind him. It was simply word of mouth. And it was Canada, The United States, Japan, Europe, and whereever else he went. For a quarter century. He headlined Wrestlemanias and Summerslams, carried an aura of invincibility with him that will never be matched, and was a true phenom. If it's possible to adjust for inflation and foreign currency with wrestling like in movies, I'm betting Andre wins in a landslide.
Strohl continues the financial trend in the column.
What is the amount that WWE and TNA pays their average wrestlers? We always here about indy shows that pay something like $30 a match, or big contracts like Flair making $500k a year, or the million plus a year Bret Hart or Hogan made - but what about the mid-card, or the lower tier stars who job show after show on Heat? Is there any sort of going rate for a contact for starting a career with WWE or TNA, and then what about the career low-to-mid card workers who aren't known to non-wrestling fans, but who have been around for years - long enough where they are likely on their 2nd or 3rd professional long term contract?
Talk about your timing. I actually had a chance this weekend to spend about an hour and a half with a guy that was a vital part of WCW's midcard and uppercard scene. He wasn't Hogan, and he certainly wasn't Barry Horowitz. He's a name you'd easily recognize, and he gave me a pretty good perspective on the situation you talked about. When he was with WCW, he was making a flat $1,000,000 a year. No incentives, nothing based on the house or quality of his work, marketing, or anything else. Just a flat million per year. He was one of the contracts breifly retained by Vince McMahon when WCW was bought out, and was given a contract that could max out at $250,000 a year depending on the things mentioned above. Now, as far as what lower to upper midcard guys like him make in WWE or TNA, it's hard to say because I don't know how much the incentives play into it. But that gives you an idea of what these folks make for spending 320 days a year on the road.
Connor O'Boyle is curious about some Wrestlemania happenings.
I read somewhere that The Rock vs Hogan at WM18 was not suppose to happen but becuase of the crowd respone to him at the No Way Out PPV, managment decided on it.I heard it was only suppose to be only Austin vs Hall as the main WM match.Do you have any idea if this is true? Also why do you think at the time the WWE didnt go with Austin vs Hogan?It would had been better I think
That's always been my understanding of the Rock vs. Hogan situation as well. I've never heard anything different regarding it. As for Austin vs. Hogan, the WWE had a choice to make. Do they go ahead and pull the trigger on Austin vs. Hogan, or do they go for Rock vs. Hogan? They were under the impression that Austin would at least be around regularly for a while, and so would Hogan, and they'd have the chance to pull that off. The Rock has been a guy that you MAY get for three dates a year for a while now. The window with Rock vs. Hogan was much smaller, so they went ahead with it. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but I think they made the right decision given the circumstances they had.
Bradley White keeps the Stone Cold train rolling.
My brother Joel (aka Jeff Blitz) and I label ourselves as fairly knowledgeable and intuitive smarks. We do find ourselves disagreeing on many topics involving the E and their actions. One of our latest disputes is over bringing Steve Austin back to work a program with Hogan at WrestleMania. Neither of us agrees with the way that Austin has walked out on the company in the past, however, I am still a fan of the Texas Rattlesnake and believe that his association with any wrestling event immediately adds entertainment value. My brother is already sick of him because of his unreliability and unwillingness to put over up and coming talent (i.e. HHH, Brock Lesnar). How many more chances do you think that the populous will give Stone Cold before completely writing him off?
I think that if the E has the chance to make Austin vs. Hogan happen and doesn't, they're foolish. Austin has made mistakes in the past with the way he handles situations, but the fans go nuts every time he walks back out. Will they get their hopes up that he's back for good? Probably not. Even with the skit he did with JBL, it just didn't look like his heart was in it. As for not putting people over, there are a lot of people guilty of that. It's the nature of the business. Some guys do, some guys don't. There are going to be fans that are a little bitter over him coming and going so much, but the fact that Vince is willing to LET him come and go so much should tell you something about how valuable he can be, even in a diminished role.
Rockafella Killer has some ideas for Jarrett and Company.
I have a question about TNA, now I heard they were in talks with Goldberg, and Samoa Joe is TNA's best wrestler, and yet every time TNA looks like it's going up the creative team and Management send it way back to the bottom of the wrestling world, Wouldn't Goldberg VS Samoa Joe for the NWA world heavy weight championship be TNA's Hogan Vs Flair for WcW?
Could be good, could be bad. The only way it's good is if Samoa Joe ultimately goes over. Otherwise, it's a wasted exercise, because if Goldberg doesn't put someone over, then you've wasted your money and have nothing to show for it once he's gone. I think the Sting situation could be really good for them in the long haul. I say Sting feuds with Jarrett for a while, gets backup from Christian. Later on, Christian turns on Sting and goes over in the program, further establishing Christian. You could also use Sting to put over Monty Brown, Abyss, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles or just about anyone else on the roster. I think TNA will be better keeping the HUGE names out unless they know they can get cooperation out of them. Goldberg's going to draw for them, regardless of whether or not Samoa Joe goes over him. But Samoa Joe? If he gets crushed by a quickly departing Goldberg, it just makes him and the company look bad.
Tenchi Masaki sends in an assist.
Just wanted to pass on some info in regards to another individual's email to you which you may have just missed:
Russ wrote "Second, Ken Shamrock was never a wrestling world champion, but he was a mixed martial arts world champion prior to coming to the WWF, and he'll also be one of the coaches in the third series of The Ultimate Fighter. While not exactly Hollywood, it must count for something."
Actually...he was. Ken Shamrock became the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion after the birth of NWA-TNA on Jun 19th of 2002 by winning a Gauntlet for the Gold tournament to crown a new champion after the belt had been stripped from Dan Severn (yes, *that* Dan "The Beast" Severn) in Japan 3 months earlier. Shamrock would then lose the belt to Ron Killings a few months later on a TNA weekly PPV.
You're right, I did miss that. Thanks for the heads up.
While we're getting some help, let's hear from Manu Bumb on the topic of a Thunderdome gone wrong at a Clash of the Champions.
How ironic. This clash was reviewed on 411 this week: http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/video_reviews/37973/The-Furious-Flashbacks-%96-WCW-Clash-of-the-Champions-22.htm
Long story short - Sting, Simmons, Van Hammer, and Dustin vs Vader, Windham, Barbarian, and Rude. Rude got injured, so race made jack and paul fight, paul more or less won, so he joined the heel team. barbarian got kicked out because he was associated with jack, so that takes the heels down to 3. Simmons was attacked before the match, taking him out, and Van Hammer was already injured, so he was out, leaving the faces with 2. Jack turned face because he didnt like being pushed around by race on WCW Sat Night (remember him attacking race, vader, and orndorff with the shovel?).
Mbriancohen asks a very good question.
I was reading Eddie's autobiography and in it he states that WCW wasn't going to allow the Radicals out of their contract but was forced to because one of the bookers, "slice our throats." (pg. 201) A.) WTF? B.) Who, why, and how has this not been news beforehand?
Well, the booker was Kevin Sullivan, as that was during the time frame that Russo and Ferarra were stripped of their duties. Sullivan had legitimate heat with Benoit, and was going to strip him of his newly won WCW World Title. Malenko, Saturn, and Guerrerro were similarly frustrated with Sullivan and WCW as a whole, so they decided that they were leaving. They requested their releases and got them. They promptly jumped to WWE where Eddy dislocated his elbow, Dean Malenko jobbed to Lita, and Saturn had a mop. I'm guessing the slicing of throats would be rhetorical, referencing the fact that they would be buried on the cards, but as I haven't read the book, I'm not entirely sure. If anybody knows more about the situation, feel free to share on the throat slicing.
JLAJRC keeps my job easy.
Is Horace Hogan really Hulk Hogan's nephew?
Yep.
Ian C. Douglass has quibbles and bits.
I hate to quibble with you, because I enjoy your stuff. However, I have to disagree with your assessment of Sting as easy top-ten material.
The best that you could do for Sting would be to argue that he was a total package kind of guy... and not in a Lex Luger sense. The only category I can think of in which he makes the top ten would be a top-ten list of faces who were most over at their peak popularity level AND who wrestled during his era. Even then, he might not make the top 5. Hogan, Savage, Goldberg, Michaels, Austin, Bret Hart, the Ultimate Warrior, the Undertaker and the Rock all had a peak in popularity that coincided with the run of Sting.
That's if we go by face popularity. If we count people who were over on heel heat, I don't think he makes the top ten.
So if I were going to give you a question it would be this: Who are your personal top-ten wrestlers of all time? Do not include favorites based on personal bias (not Koko B. Ware because you thought he was cool when you were six years old). Please give criteria. If you have to restrict it to post 1980, that's cool. No exclusively Japanese/Puroresu or Mexican/Lucha wrestlers like Misawa or Hijo del Santo.
Valid points, and since wrestling is subjective on so many things, I'm willing to concede some of that stuff. As for my top ten, yeesh. I'll try. My all time favorite is Ric Flair because he doesn't have bad matches, he's good on the mic, the character is believable, and he's who I grew up watching. Spots two and three are reserved for my favorite tag team of all time, The Midnight Express. They revolutionized tag team wrestling and had (imho) the greatest manager of all time, Jim Cornette. Number four for me is Steve "Dr. Death" Williams. He's not exclusively Japanese/Puro, but his best stuff is from there. In the meantime, he did fantastic stuff stateside with Watts' UWF, the Varsity Club, and with Gordy vs. The Steiners. Great powerbased wrestling with a hint of amateur ability and Japanese influence. Fifth would be Scott Steiner. I was a huge fan when he burst onto the scene in the early 1990's with Rick, and continued to enjoy him throughout the Big Poppa Pump gimmick. He's been poorly booked and has had backstage problems in the past, but I've always liked him. Sixth is Shawn Michaels, for many the same reasons as Ric Flair. Seventh, Eigth, and Ninth would have to be Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Barry Windham. Their involvement in the Horsemen certainly help, but all three guys are versatile workers that could carry a match, a program, or a team and make them work. Finally, AJ Styles has made my all time top 10. He's one of the few guys left that I mark out for consistently. That's a thumbnail version of my top 10. Hopefully not too offensive to those smarks out there that consider themselves experts on everything.
DrZaius has a twenty year itch that needs scratched.
This has been driving me CRAZY for years...The inaugural 1987 Survivor Series featured one of my favorite concepts the 10 man tag match featuring 5 face teams against 5 heel teams. I only have seen the Coliseum Video version of the event and here's my question: HOW DO THE BRITISH BULLDOGS GET ELIMINATED??? One minute they are there with the Young Stallions and Killer Bees, the next they are just gone via a Coliseum video clip. Also, any reason why two so low card teams like the Stallions and Bees got to survive instead of the Tag Champs Strike Force or the popular Bulldogs? Thanks man.
No idea on the logic behind who got eliminated when, but I can help with the other part: Haku pinned the Dynamite Kid. The editing on that match was absolutely atrocious, but I'm glad I could put your mind at rest.
Robbie Chastain is the devil's advocate.
My question for you is something I've wondered for quite a while. Why does everyone seem to hate Hulk Hogan? Yeah I know about the stories, the politics, the wanting to keep his spot, the playing of the power he has, not putting people over and all that jazz. But the thing is, the way some people talk it's like he's the only one who's ever pulled that and we know for a fact that he isn't. He's just one in a string of many. People say he doesn't put people over, well if I remember right in his 2002 run, Hogan lost to Rock, Kurt Angle (twice I believe), Triple H on RAW and I think even Chris Jericho beat him. Brock Lesnar all but annihilated him on Smackdown right before Summerslam that year. I know Big Show and several others beat him again in his 2003 run. Yeah he might not have done it enough to some people's satisfaction but to say he never did it is a load of bull in my opinion. And how many wrestlers beat him in WCW? Quite a few as I recall. Sting, Luger, Arn, Flair, Pillman and others also that beat him.
Also, as far as his playing the politics, many other writers, yourself included, have said that's just part of the business. Is it maybe that he did it better than anyone else that people are mad about? Cause we all know that there are plenty others out there who have vetoed storylines or angles they didn't care for. I've debated this with friends before and have dared them to admit that if they had the power that Hogan had in his contract, that they damn well know they'd have used it to keep themselves in a good spot too. I think there's a serious aboundance of the pot calling the kettle black in this case.
People say he's too old to wrestle but Ric Flair is about 4-5 years older and he still wrestles on a full time basis and only very recently have people been saying more that he needs to retire. People have said that about Hogan for ten years or so. I mean jeez, Vince is gonna be in a semi-main event slot in Wrestlemania and he's 60!! I think Hogan's been smart in showing up only a couple of times a year so it doesn't get worn out on the fans that do enjoy seeing him and I think it's very safe to say from this letter that I'm one of them.
You'd make a good lawyer. I can't speak for everyone else, only for me. My thing with Hogan is that I never could dig the character, even as a kid. When I was five years old, I gravitated towards Flair. That's just the way I was programmed, I guess. I don't have a problem with the politics, either. I have a problem with the extreme that they're taken to. Wrestling is a nasty business and you protect your spot at any cost, but when your ego is so large that you decide that you and Randy Savage are going to go over WCW's entire heel roster, PLUS some guys that you hire just for that show, then that's a problem. Is Hogan too old to wrestle? Nah. His style allows him to move a little slower, be a little more methodical, and still look okay. And you're right, there are people that want to see him. He's been better about putting people over later in his career, but he did his fair share of refusing to job through the years. Again, I don't mind the politics and such, I just think they got taken to a bit of an extreme at times. I also had somewhat of a run-in with Hogan and his entrouage in Charleston, WV after the Souled Out ppv in January of 1998 that soured me on him quite a bit more than usual. But if you like who you like, more power to you. Far be it from me to say that my opinion is right and yours is wrong. Thanks for the letter.
Dan from MI asks about the Body's heat.
I got a question about Jesse "The Body" Ventura, did he really have heat with Hogan and McMahon, cause some of my friends say it wasn't true but I am pretty sure he does. I just wanna know if he does or did.
Jesse's heat with Hogan stems from the fact that Hogan never got to go over on Jesse. Amazing how something like that can eat at somebody. I'm sure it's been somewhat distorted through the years by both men and the media, but that's the source of the rumor, at least. I'm unaware of any legitimate heat between he and McMahon, unless it's a result of Jesse maintaining that Vince not use his footage without royalties being paid.
Frank Miller (I love Sin City!) asks about AJ Styles' old buddy.
Hello, I was watching an AJ Styles match and it made me think back to that WCW Cruiserweight Tag Tournament a few years back. He teamed with a guy named Air Paris; any idea whatever happened to him?
Air Paris still does regular indy shots, and is pretty impressive in his own right. He's done for NWA Wildside and Ring of Honor as recently as the end of 2005. I think he could be a fun addition to the X Division for Impact tapings and the like, but what do I know?
Michael P. comes to the right place for Flair info.
There's a match that lingers in my mind that I need info about. Tito Santana wrestled a one-on-one match with Ric Flair on a WWE telecast. I remember the crowd really getting into it when Tito had the figure-four locked on Flair at one point. That's all I remember (besides Flair winning the match). Do you know what show this match was on and where on the net I could possibly find it?
October 2, 1991 saw Tito Santana take on Ric Flair during a UK tour for the WWF. The two also wrestled on the Summerslam Spectacular in 1992. I'm not sure which of the two matches you caught, but you can find either one of them on www.crazymax.org . Just register for the forums and tell folks what you're looking for. You'll get some help.
Timbo keeps things on a holiday theme.
I know this might be a stupid question, but being that it's St. Paddy's day, I feel that a question involving alcohol would be in order. My question is: I've heard of the White Russian Legsweep, tbe Rolling Rock, and the Heinekenrana, and I was wondering if the Sandman ever had any other alcohol-influenced maneuvers. If so, I'd love to know what they were. Also, how did ECW get around the copyright issues that emerged particularly from the "Rolling Rock" and "Heineken" brand names.
You exhausted the booze related names that I'm aware of, unless you count the "Flawless Beer Chug and Smash" ring entrances that he put on. Austin gets messy with his beer. Sandman never spilled a DROP. It was remarkable. ECW managed to skate by with a lot of copyrighted material, including music. The more that I realize they got away with, the more amazed I am.
Steve O'Farrell is dedicated.
quick question. I was reading up on Sting in your last column and I was wondering how he transitionned from being the "surfer" type to the "crow" type. I missed out on a lot of WCW wrestling so I have absolutely no idea how this happenned. Thanks!
PS: I emailed you about a year ago regarding the poem JBL wrote about HHH that was put on wwe.com. You said you couldn't find an answer but you would put it in the column hoping someone could post the poem. However, I don't recall ever seeing that question being posted or answered on the site.
Quick answer. Sting was pissed that WCW didn't trust him when the nWo brought in the fake Sting. That was compounded by Hogan's betrayal in the first place, and so Sting got all dark and started hanging out in the rafters. Cool stuff. And I thought I requested an answer on that poem, but I know I never got one. Just in case, here goes....if anybody knows anything about JBL's poem to HHH that popped up a while back, give me a shout so I can fullfill my obligation to Steve.
Galen Tom is going to wrap up the Q and A session for us today.
I have a question here that is a little length. I am not asking that it be put on your column, however I still would like your input and comments. If you would like to use it for your column that is fine, however I am more interested in your comments.
What is the deal with Samoa Joe? I hear so many positive comments and praises about his ring work. I watched several of his matches from independents to TNA. I do not see what is so appealing or unique about him that isn't already in the wrestling scene today. I broke my observations down to his promos, ring skills, finishing move, and personal personality.
Promos: He does have promo skills if he keeps them short. However, his promos level is that of Randy Orton's or his fellow student John Cena's. From the comments and praises Samoa Joe has been receiving I would expect the quality of his promos to be that of HBK's, Stone Cold's, the Rock's, or even Vince McMahan's.
Ring skills: TNA calls him the Samoan Submission Machine. What submission has Samoan Joe use that makes him unique to be called by that name? Taz used a martial arts submission not frequently used (or to my knowledge used at all until Taz) called the Kazahajima. Although Taz used this submission, he was dubbed the Suplex Machine. He earned this name because 99% of his suplexes he performed were done correctly and with excellent form. Does Samoa Joe sell his moves, yes. Does Samoa Joe sell his opponents moves, yes. Does Samoa Joe perform his moves correctly, no quite. I should say yes, but not appealingly. His huracarana is a struggle. His drive over the top rope looks like he just throws his body over.
Finishing move: A lot of independent wrestlers have used the same driver move or a similar variation. Vinnie Massaro and Michael Modest to name a few.
Personal Personality: When I was in APW (All Pro Wrestling) as a student back in 2001, UPW (Ultimate Pro Wrestling) and my school would hold co-promotional shows. I was told that it does not matter if someone is a student, a professional, or retired you always keep professionalism. This professionalism always meant introducing yourself and shaking their hand. I was told to always shake hands even if it is someone I knew, had met, or frequently saw. I had the pleasure of meeting Nova, John Cena, Christopher Daniels, Barry Horowitz, to name a few. However, it was not a pleasure to had met Samoa Joe. At the time, the big and popular student of UPW was John Cena. John is a really nice guy. When I approached Samoa Joe, he did not shake my hand that was extended and after saying my name his reply was "Who?" and nothing more. I understand there are jerks in the world of wrestling. However, just because your persona is a heel, does mean you have to be a real asshole in life.
I like this question. Go against the grain, and question WHY something is getting the praise that it's getting. I'll try to help. His promos aren't great, but they're better than say...RVD's. Or AJ Styles, even. He doesn't stumble over words, and he may not have the natural charisma of someone like The Rock, but he gets his point across in a believable manner. Sometimes, that's enough. Samoa Joe yelling and screaming and having catchphrases aplenty just wouldn't seem like Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe telling you that he's going to break you and then heading off to do it...that fits the character. So is he Cena, McMahon, Rock, Flair, or Arn Anderson? Nope. But he's solid.
You can critique Joe's huracanranas or dives if you like, but remember that he's a stocky 280 lbs. guy and he's still pulling them off, even if they're not necessarily textbook. Joe's style is a stiff, brutal style that borrows as much from reality as it does from sports entertainment. Joe does throw in a variety of submissions in his matches, even if it's not the whole of his offense. Most importantly, he's got that triangle choke that he ends the some of his matches with. Samoan Submission Machine works for Joe because he ends matches with submissions and stretches guys out during his matches. I enjoy his heavy strikes and "realistic" offense, even if the triangle choke would end a match in about 1.3 seconds.
His "driver" isn't anything unique, and I'd actually like to see him adopt the Fire Thunder Driver for the fun of it. But the Muscle Buster that he uses is a lot of fun. After all, the move came from a CARTOON. It looks nasty whenever he does it and he manages not to cripple people with it. Bonus points for that. He's got a nice assortment of finishers that are believable, and that he pulls off well.
I can't make much of a comment on Joe's personality outside the ring because I've never met him. But like in wrestling, just as in life, some people are jerks. Maybe he's one of them. And maybe he's just one of those guys that lives his character. Wrestling needs more of that if you ask me. Regardless, I'm well aware of how a bad personal experience with a guy can change your attitude towards him. Just read a few letters up about Hogan.
All in all, though, it's just a choice. If you don't dig Samoa Joe, cool. I like him, and enjoy his matches. If you don't buy into the hype that he's getting and don't think that it's warranted, feel free to say so. Just be prepared for people to disagree with you, and some of them to do so vehemently. But isn't that the fun of it?
That wraps up the q and a portion of the column this week,but now, by request...I present to you all....
Dream Card Extravaganza II
This isn't your typical dream card. No sir. It's a team competition for the "Legends Cup". It's my take on the X Cup thing that TNA does, with my own rules. 16 teams, no double bookings. That means that Ric Flair can't be on two teams. Things will be done tournament style. The first round will be a singles match. The second round will be a six man tag match. The third round will be another singles match. The final round will be a five on five elimination match. This may work, this may suck. We'll see soon enough, won't we? First, the teams.
Team AWA - Jerry "The King Lawler, Curt Hennig, Nick Bockwinkle, Rick Martel, Stan Hansen
Team World Class - "The Modern Day Warrior" Kerry Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich, The Dingo Warrior, Tommy Rogers, Bobby Fulton
Team ECW - "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, Raven, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Terry Funk
Team TNA - Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, "Wildcat" Chris Harris, "Cowboy" James Storm
Team WWF (1980's) - "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Bob Backlund, Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Team WWF (1990's) - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Team WWE - HHH, Batista, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Edge
Team nWo - Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, X Pac, The Giant
Team Horsemen - "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious
Team WCW - Sting, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Vader
Team NWA - "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Hawk, Animal
Team Japan - Mitsuhara Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Antonio Inoki, The Great Muta, Jushin "Thunder" Liger
Team Mexico - Mil Mascaras, El Hijo Del Santo, Rey Mysterio, Jrl, Eddy Guerrero, Art Barr
Team Europe - William Regal, Davey Boy Smith, Dynamite Kid, Andre the Giant, Chris Adams
Team UWF - "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, Terry Taylor
Team Islanders - Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Haku, Samoa Joe, Rikishi, Tama
First round matchups (team vs. team) were determined by blind draw. Results of all first round matches were determined by TNM 7.0. Everything after that was up to me.
The Giant (Team nWo) vs. Antonio Inoki (Team Japan) - Inoki has dealt with large men before, facing Andre the Giant in Japan. The Giant is young and inexperienced, but his size and raw power more than make up for the disadvantages. Inoki does the obvious thing and tries to take out the young man's legs with stiff kicks, but it's only a matter of time before the Giant gets him within arm's length, sucks him in for a bear hug, and won't let go. Inoki uss a series of chops to the neck to break the hold, but on the rebound, gets caught up in a chokeslam and falls victim to a huge upset in the first round, as Team Japan is sent home without ever sending out Misawa or Muta. In the back, Atsushi Onita blows his leg off for the fun of it.
"Ravishing" Rick Rude (Team WCW) vs. John Cena (Team WWE) - Cena cut a rap about Rude never winning a "real" world title and Rude jumped him before the bell for his effort. Cena's power based offense vs. Rude's power based technical offense makes for a highly entertaining matchup. The first mistake of the match is made by Cena, going for his "You Can't See Me" punch, giving Rude a chance to roll out of the ring and regroup. And slip a pair of brass knucks on that he had in his boot. The cheap shot is only good enough for two, as Cena makes his comeback and lands the F-U, only to have Rude's feet on the ropes. The STF-U is applied for good measure, but Rude makes it to the ropes. As Cena plays to the crowd, Rude lands a low blow and a piledriver for a two count of his own. He tries to close the door with a Rude Awakening, but Cena gets a shoulder up. As Rude argues with the referee, Cena rolls him up from behind. At the two count, Rude takes a handful of Cena's waistband and reverses the pin, scoring an illegal three count to eliminate Team WWE.
Samoa Joe (Team Islanders) vs. William Regal (Team Europe) - Stiff. Brutally, ridiculously stiff. That's the only word to describe this one. Both guys get stretched, pulled, and beaten mercilessly for twenty minutes, and it's a beautiful thing. Regal has a swollen eye and a split lip. Joe appears to have a broken jaw and a profusely bleeding nose. Neither guy can hit their finisher, so they abandon traditional wrestling moves and focus on beating each other senseless. The end comes after nearly a half hour when Samoa Joe locks in a triangle choke. Regal doesn't tap, he passes out.
AJ Styles (Team TNA) vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler (Team AWA) - Lawler uses all of his tricks, but it's just no use. Styles is too fast and too talented for The King to keep up. Lawler takes momentary control about fifteen minutes in, and sets up for his piledriver. AJ's having none of it, though, escaping and landing a Styles Clash to send Team AWA packing.
Bob Backlund (Team WWF 80's) vs. Mil Mascaras (Team Mexico) - A beautiful scientific matchup is born between the second longest reigning WWF Champion of all time and the greatest legend in the history of Mexico. Backlund tries to keep things on the ground with his submissions and amateur based attack. Mascaras is delivering flying cross chops and dropkicks to negate things as best he can. It's a stalemate for the longest time until Mascaras misses a crossbody and lands on his shoulder. That's all Mr. Backlund needs, zeroing in and getting a win with his crossface chicken wing.
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (Team NWA) vs. "The Modern Day Warrior" Kerry Von Erich (Team World Class) Blistering chops and incredible punches were the order of the day as these two incredibly over fan favorites did battle in mid-ring practically all night. Neither man would break a rule (outside of the closed fist) and it was breathtaking how much punishment the two men absorbed. It became an issue of stamina, and Steamboat snared Von Erich with a small package to get the win twenty minutes deep.
The Undertaker (Team WWF 90's) vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (Team Horsemen) One of the heavy favorites would be gone after this match, as two all time greats would square off against each other. Flair took his customary beating, using his customary cheating to level the playing field. Much like the Giant against Inoki, the big man's knees were a target. A desperation low blow got Flair out of the Tombstone, but the figure four couldn't get a submission. Finally, the Undertaker took to the ropes, walking along the top rope to deliver his big forearm shot. Flair pulled 'Taker down, crotching him on the top rope and dumped him into the ring. A rollup (with feet conveniently on the ropes) eliminated the star studded team of the 90's.
"The Franchise" Shane Douglas (Team ECW) vs. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams (Team UWF) No extreme rules means no chance for Douglas. It took Doc less than ten minutes to tear through Douglas, ending things brutally and efficiently with a backdrop driver.
Round 2 will proceed as a normal tournament, with six man tag matches arranged by the order of matches in the first round.
Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and X Pac (Team nWo) vs. Vader, Rick Steiner, and Scott Steiner (Team WCW) - Both teams held off sending their biggest guns into the second round, banking on the need for them in the semi finals. As it is, everyone saw X Pac as the weak link in the ring. They were right. Hall and Nash essentially froze X Pac out, playing it three against two just like they did against Sting, Luger, and Savage when they invaded WCW. They did a remarkable job for themselves, nearly picking up the win on several occasions. People tend to forget that Hall and Nash can be dominant when they want to be. The numbers finally became too much after one of Nash's big boots rocked Vader outside the ring. The Steiners rushed in to buy time, and did a little more than that. A Frankensteiner sent Hall right back out of the ring, and a cannonball-like Steinerline drove Nash into the corner. X Pac tagged himself in and used a series of martial arts kicks to remove Rick and Scott from the ring. Unfortunately, Vader was the legal man. One sickening powerbomb later, the match was over.
Haku, Rikishi, and Tama (Team Islanders) vs. "Wildcat" Chris Harris, "Cowboy" James Storm, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (Team TNA)
Both teams were assumed to be overmatched, but found some even footing against each other. Rikishi's size and strength gave team TNA fits, and the vicious attack of Haku and Tama was a little more than AMW was prepared for. Once they caught up, AMW put on a tag team clinic. Daniels, though, couldn't do much with Rikishi based on sheer size. Things looked bad after a Rikishi Driver, but Harris and Storm were quick to intervene, double dropking Rikishi back into a corner that led to Haku tagging in. Ignoring the five second rule, AMW connected on the Death Sentence and cut off the ring as a nearly unconscious Daniels rolled on top of Haku for the pin.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Jake "The Snake" Roberts (Team WWF 80's) vs. "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, Hawk, Animal (Team NWA) Six legends brawled all over the building, and many assumed that the match would be won on the strength of Hawk and Animal. Turns out, the match was won with the intelligence of Piper and Roberts. They allowed Orndorff to take the beating of a lifetime outside the ring while they doubled up on Dusty inside the ring. When Jake snapped off a DDT, the Road Warriors didn't have a chance to break the count. Three seconds later, the NWA Six Man Tag Champions were eliminated.
"The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham (Team Horsemen) vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy (Team UWF) - Three scientific wizards against three brawlers. On paper, it makes for a very interesting matchup. In the ring, it makes for a decimation. The Horsemen cheated, wrestled, and brawled their way past the boys from the UWF all night long, mercifully ending things with a spike piledriver from Tully and Arn to Duggan.
The semifinals resume the one on one format.
Sting (Team WCW) vs. Jeff Jarrett (Team TNA) - If either team needed one win, they had the right guys going at it. Sting and Jarrett proved to be more evenly matched than anyone would have given them credit for, and the match was entertaining. Jarrett proved that he could run with anybody - Flair, Michaels, or Sting. Sting proved why he was WCW's go to guy for so long. There was a collective gasp from the audience when Jarrett connected with The Stroke and immediately went for the pin. Sting snuck a shoulder out, though, and it was all downhill from there for Jarrett. Jarrett fought his way to the ropes in the Scorpion Deathlock, but couldn't escape the Scorpion Deathdrop. Team WCW was in the finals.
"Macho Man" Randy Savage (Team WWF 80's) vs. Sid Vicious (Team Horsemen) - People would second guess the Horsemen team for this choice. Why not send Windham into the semis instead of the head case Vicious? Could Sid's size and strength outweigh the mental errors that had plagued his career? Savage was intent on finding out. Savage launched himself in an attack that threw caution to the wind, hoping to overwhelm Sid from the outset. It wasn't enough initially, but the torrid pace took its toll on Sid. Sid managed to regroup and powerbomb Savage, but inexplicably taunted the crowd instead of going for the pin. Savage rolled out of the ring, pulled himself up to his feet and dropped Sid's neck onto the top rope. From there, it was a matter of scrambling to the top rope and delivering an elbowdrop for the win, putting the 1980's Superstars into the finals.
Next week, the finals! A five on five elimination match with PLENTY of surprises as team WCW (Sting, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Rick Rude and Vader) take on team WWF (Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, and Bob Backlund)!
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