Ask 411 Wrestling 12.13.06: Belt straps, Lawler's strap, Homes vs. Holmes and More!
Posted by Steve Cook on 12.13.2006
Including questions about STONE COLD, STONE COLD, STONE COLD!
It's time to Ask 411 Wrestling! I am your party host Steve Cook, and this week we've got yet more questions from the fine readers of 411Mania. It's been a busy week, and things just keep getting busier, so let's just cut to the chase, shall we?
Questions yet to be answered: 28
Additions, Corrections, Etc.
There are some included from 2 weeks ago because they didn't have the proper subject title...I do what I can though.
"In the latest column, someone had a question involving
the Harris Bros and why they always wrestle in shirts.
Coincidentally, I had just finished rereading the
first Wrestlecrap book and it has an interesting story
about that.
Apparently, Don Harris had gone in to get his pectoral
region bolstered (in other words, he got a manly boob
job) at some point. The surgeon screwed something up,
though, so he wound up with one of his nipples being
way off center. He was mortified to be seen without a
shirt on, so that's why he always wrestled in one.
Presumably Ron just wore one to match his brother.
Anyway, just thought I'd share that. Oh, yeah, and it
apparently is true that they had (still have?) some
sort of Nazi tattoo, at least according to Wikipedia.
Quote: "Ron and Don Harris were at the center of
controversy as a result of tattoos they have on their
biceps of the World War II German Nazi SS runic
bolts."" - Will Bryant
That thing about the pec might be the most disturbing thing I've heard today. Gross.
""is that ugly splotch on Jeff Hardy's arm a bunch of paint, or just the ugliest and most uncreative tattoo ever given?" - Bryan Jones
While you can't get a good view of it in any of the pics on WWE.com right now, it is in fact a tattoo. I noticed it when he came back, and it seems to just keep getting bigger. When he first showed up it was half-finished, barely reaching the top of his arm, now it's running up onto his neck. As far as being ugly and uncreative...well, I've seen a LOT uglier and a LOT less creative tattoos. It looks to me like some Guy Aitchison inspired bio-mechanical tribal." - J
"Just a couple of notes on your recent column, which may clarify for you.
(1)
"Q: Why is it that when two wrestlers "really hate each other" they get into
a pull-apart brawl where they just punch each other and roll around on the
ground (SEE: Joe, Samoa and Angle, Kurt), yet when they get into the actual
match it's back to suplexes and wrestling moves? - Tim Dennie"
I'd say the kayfabe reason would be strategy. As much as two wrestlers may
hate each other, they are all meant to be professional athletes aiming to
win matchs and eventually titles. So when match time comes, they will focus
their minds and energy on winning the match. Both wrestlers will know that
losing their cool could lose them the match, either by DQ or through their
opponent outwrestling them.
Outside of the match, pull-apart brawls make sense as there are no rules, so
they can just try and hurt each other with no pinfalls in mind. That seems
to make sense anyway. . .
(2)
"Q: "To begin, I've been a fan of the WWE for 16 years and counting, and I
consider myself a very knowledgable fan about the business. But I do have a
question that I don't think anyone has asked, and it's about the 1989
Survivor Series. Now, I know the story of Tully Blanchard. On the pregame
show, Akeem (aka One Man Gang) and The Widowmaker (aka Barry Windham) were
advertised as if they were going to be on the show, but when the PPV started
and Vince McMahon ran down the participants, Earthquake was inserted into
Widowmaker's place and Bad News Brown was inserted into Akeem's place. What
happened there?" - Wayne"
I remember this PPV as it was the first wrestling event I had ever seen and
got me hooked. I still have the original VHS tape my uncle made for me of
the event. Good stuff.
Anyway, Windham had left the company, plus they really started to push
Earthquake from here. As far as Akeem, I'm pretty sure that he just
no-showed. Whatever it was, I would imagine it was VERY last minute, because
not only was Bad News added at the last minute, but his elimination was
EXACTLY the same as the previous year's. Not close to the same, but EXACTLY.
He was holding one of the opponents from the ring apron when one of his
teammates accidentally hit him. He gets pissed and pushes his teammate and
takes a walk.
So anyway, this booking seems to indicate very late plan changes. In my mind
anyway. . ." - Evan
""My other question is this: Years ago in the "Hulk Still Rules" magazine, I saw a picture of Hogan with like 8 belts. (The WCW, and several old WWF belts were in the picture.) I've seen half of this picture online in several places (most notably, Hogan's profile on obsessedwithwrestling.com), but I can't find a copy of the entire picture. Can you help me? Where might I find one online?"
I have this somewhere and if I can find it (and can scan it) I will let you know, maybe you can send it to your reader ...
I just wanted to say that the best thing about this picture is that, if you look at the WCW belt, the named engraved on it is "Jeff Jarrett"." - EF
Ah yes...that would be the belt that Hogan was "given" on his way out of WCW by Vince Russo at Bash at the Beach 2000. Good times.
"I am Roddy Piper's #1 fan for 20+ years now, so I know this incident quite well…. Roddy Piper was kind of a tweener but had been labeled a face at this time, probably 1986 or so. Roddy Piper had Paul Orndorff and Bobby Heenan in the ring and he was berating them on the mic, asking Orndorff to come up with a tag partner so they could have a tag match. Before talking back to Roddy, Orndorff would back off and whisper back and forth with Heenan. After talking with each other, Heenan announced that he had a royal partner for Paul, one Harley Race. Heenan says that Piper has no friends anyways, so who could he come up with?.....Piper says now he needs to think it over before deciding, mocking Heenan and Orndorff. Roddy goes to the corner and calls the ‘superfan' up. The ‘superfan' was often seen at WWF events in the 80's and 90's; we've all seen this thin, black, Steve Urkel looking guy, with the big glasses, usually wearing a ‘HOT ROD' t-shirt. After a few seconds of whispering, ‘superfan' announces that Hulk Hogan should be Piper's partner, and we're off to the races. Piper and Hulk faced Race and Orndorff in a tag match that Piper and Hulk won, despite a staredown between each tag. WWF was still playing up that Piper and Hulk, although partners, were still not good pals. There you go!" - Al Fucsko
The superfan's name was Vladimir, thanks to Al, David, Anthony and others who filled in the blanks on this one for me.
"I currently work as an independent contractor. I'm a Regional Manager for a Mortgage broker. Here are some answers to "J" questions
1. An independent contractor controls where, when and how the work is performed. --- Not true, I work in my office here at work. While I can "show up" when I want as long as I produce, i.e. bring in loans, a wrestler cannot do that. They can only perform in the ring. Still I am expected to work Monday thru Friday, 9-5 just like everyone else.
2. An independent contractor is allowed to contract themselves out to other parties. And can do so without interference from one of their jobs --- Not true, I was forced to sign a no compete clause, something I know the WWE uses
3. An independent contractor does not have to personally do the work themselves, and can hire outside help at their expense to complete the task. --- This question doesn't really apply to wrestlers
4. An independent contractor trains themselves, and a company providing required training is generally viewed as an employer --- My company does pay for some training shows and clinics and offer material when you start. Im not sure what training the WWE uses except for OVW
I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned Vince being the only REAL show n town. Thus, if people don't want play by his rules, they can leave. If TNA gets to point where are constantly challenging the WWE and decide to provide benefits to wrestlers THEN you could see a change in Vince's opinion. But that is probably the only way it is going to happen. If wrestlers we to form a union currently, then Vince could say forget you. YOU ALL ARE FIRED and bring in other help." - Adam
This independent contractor stuff is an interesting topic to me, probably one that doesn't get enough attention from the wrestling media. Maybe we can iron all of this out someday.
"I attended WWE Rebellion 2001 in Manchester, UK, where there was a match with the blue cage for the IC title between Edge (c) v Christian. Good finish as Christian climbed over and was about to leap down, but Edge pulled his legs through the cage which meant Chistian's Torso was just hanging out. Edge climbed over and as he dropped down for the win managed to hit Christian with a clothesline on the way down! Super! " - Andy Hat
Thanks to Dan Rigby for also mentioning the Rebellion show...lucky British bastards!
"You're probably going to get (or already are getting) a ton of mail on this one, but in 1992, neither of the first two entrants made it to the end. I believe Bulldog and DiBiase were the first two that year with Flair coming in at #3. Love the column, etc." - Cam
Yeah, like I said in the column, that was a really dumb one on my part since I've watched that match well over 20 times. The Altzheimer's must be kicking in. Let's talk about devastating wrestling moves.
"The Spinning Kudoh Driver/Vertebreaker/Cop Killa is vicious - check out Homicide hitting it on Allison Danger in ROH to see it done in a VERY scary fashion.
The Burning Hammer is a nasty NASTY move and Mark Briscoe's Arm Trap variation (Cutthroat Driver) looks even more dangerous. Also seeing Danny Maff killify Deranged with a Super Burning Hammer in the Special K vs SAT/Divine Storm/Hit Squad/Mikey Whipwreck match was amazing. Super Dragon's sitout version is evil too.
While the Sitout Double Underhook Piledriver (Kid Kash's Money Maker, Jay Briscoe's J-Driller, Johnny Devine's Devine Intervention, Beef Wellington's E-Coli) is a genuinely evil move, Mitsahuru Misawa's Tiger Driver '91 original which is hit kneeling is a totally unprotected head drop and never fails to scare me when I see it. The only time I've seen anyone use it in the US was when HHH acidentally hit someone (A Rougeau I think) with it trying to pedigree them.
Kevin Steen's Package Piledriver is worth checking out.
The unprotected version of the Air Raid Crash/Kryptonite Krunch that Genki Horiguchi (Beach Break) and Jose Maximo (Maximo Explosion) use is another evil head drop.
In Japan Dr Death Steve Williams used to murder people with the Backdrop Driver/Dangerous Backdrop. Simple belly to back suplex, but landing the victim on their skull. Check out Kenta Kobashi taking three when he was younger.
The granddaddy of all killer moves is still the Ganso Bomb. I have no idea how anybody who lets "Dangerous K" Toshiaki Kawada hold them up for a powerbomb and then just drop them straight on their head survives. Misawa kicking out of it at Destiny 2005 was the worst excess of NOAH fighting spirit lunacy I've ever seen.
Oddly the moves wrestlers hate taking the most are those where they fly through the air without being held, so The Border Toss/Megabomb/Running Awesomebomb and Kane's Double Choke Toss are a lot more dangerous than they look - big risk of banging the back of your head on landing." - Will Geddes
"How could you forget the Ganso Bomb? It made its way stateside via WWE WrestleMania 2000 and No Mercy on N64 under the name Hangman's DDT. The only instance I can EVER rememeber seeing it was Toshiaki Kawada brutalizing Mitsuharu Misawa with it. I just about lost my mind when I saw it, it's still one of the most brutal spots I have ever seen." - Sergio
"The match that took place between the Harts and LOD
never aired on Prime Time Wrestling, and the Harts
were the Champs going into that match. They just
didn't wear the titles down to ringside. It never
aired on Natl. TV. It only came out on Coliseum Video.
It should be noted that during 1987, the Harts
defended the Tag-Team titles on national television
(mainly on Prime Time Wrestling) against top teams
like the Bulldogs, Rougeau's, and Killer Bee's more
than any other tag-team in WWF history during the mid
to late 80s. Just look at PWhistory if you don't
believe me.
From Prowrestlinghistory.com:
WWF @ Biloxi, MS - Coast Coliseum - March 12,
1991-Wrestling Challenge taping.
The Legion of Doom defeated WWF Tag Team Champions
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart in a non-title match at 12:21
when Neidhart threw his partner off the top rope onto
Road Warrior Animal, who powerslammed Bret to the mat
for the pinfall; after the bout, the LOD and Neidhart
helped Bret back to his feet; the Hart Foundation did
not come to the ring with the belts, nor were they
announced as champions, because they were scheduled to
lose the belts two weeks later (The Life & Death of
the Road Warriors, Wrestlefest 91)
Now tell me where does it say it aired on PTW? Where
did you come up with that? Thats inaccruate. They
usually list right next to the match when a match is
taped for PTW. This match was a dark match that taped
exclusively for CW. A similar incident happened at the
March MSG show where the Harts faced Earthquake and
Bravo.
Prime Time Wrestling - 3/25/91: WWF Tag Team Champions
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Earthquake & Dino
Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 10:24 when Bret pinned Bravo
after Neidhart powerslammed his partner onto Bravo;
after the bout, Earthquake hit the sit-down splash on
Bret until Neidhart cleared the ring with a chair
They did not wear the belts down to ringside or they
just didn't show the belts, because the match aired
after WM VII.
I hope I was of some help." - Dwayne
"Just thought i'd send you a note about a question you received for ask 411:
----------------
2) When someone emerges from under the ring (i.e. - Finley's leprechaun) how do
they know when its time to attack if they can't see anything? Are they miked up
or something? Who gives them their cue?" - Lev
I'm not really sure about that, there are probably different singals depending on what the situation is...but I can tell you that the Little Bastard gets under the ring right before Finlay's match...when the lights are turned down he comes down surrounded by officials and crew people so nobody can see him. Apparently he just leaves after Finlay's match without escorts. I think something like shaking the ring apron would be a good cue.
----------------
He acctually has a little monitor under the ring, like the ones on the announce tables. I read about this quite some time ago somewhere, and around that time i took more notice of the Little Bastard coming out and going back under the ring. Sure enough, one time when i think Finlay pulled up the apron to look for him under the ring, there was a monitor sitting under there - could see it very clearly as obviously its very dark under the ring and the display on the monitor was shining quite brightly. - Andrew
"I have been to several live events, sometimes the guy will be under the ring will be there before the show even airs. And they also have a tv monitor under there for their viewing." - Douglas
"Sorry Steve, this is my favorite hold in wrestling and I can tell you that there are variations between the two. Sting uses his right leg to wrap the opponents legs around and sits farther forward putting more (kayfabe) pressure on the knees, and often holds the position with one arm. Bret, using his left leg instead, sits farther back on the hold while torquing the legs with his arms to add pressure." - RM
Oddly enough, I've seen pictures of Bret doing the move wrapping the legs around both his right and left leg. I will agree that Sting does sit farther forward, almost to the point where he's bending over while Bret's in more of a squatting position.
"I can add some info to the question of Hulk Hogan's IWGP title tournament win in 1983. Inoki (the owner and booker of New Japan at the time) booked himself to win the tournament final against Hogan. However, Hogan hit Inoki with his "ax bomber" clothesline and Inoki fell to the floor, hitting his head on the apron, and knocking himself silly. The referee counted Inoki out, given that he was never going to get up anyway, and the tournament was awarded to Hogan. Inoki of course had to get his win back but even through his egotistical owner's vision, he saw the huge popularity of Hogan and actually put him over in a few re-matches (always by countout)." - Andrew Prentice
"Do you think they will ever release a Tatanka DVD?" - Chase
Well...never say never, I guess. But one would have to think that WWE has a lot of people on the list of "people who need their own DVD" to cover before they get to Tatanka. Unless Tatanka suddenly blows up and becomes World Champion in the next year or so, I wouldn't expect one anytime soon.
"1. I remember a long time ago, I'm pretty sure it was in 2000, there was a match between Chris Benoit and Hardcore Holly, and I believe Holly has just come back from an injury, and there was one point where I guess Benoit got hit with a forearm shot by Holly, and Benoit was down for a long time. I think something was mentioned by the announcers that Holly had a metal plate put in his arm recently. I was wondering if Benoit really got hurt in this match or not? I'm sure it was a work since there was something mentioned about the metal plate, but Benoit was down for about 5 minutes at least and looked really hurt so I'm not so sure.
2. I was watching my Wrestlemania XX DVD a few days ago, and I was watching the WWE Championship match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle, and I remember Kurt was using closed fist shots to Eddie, which is illegal in a match, or at least I'm pretty sure it is since I've always seen the ref get on to wrestlers when they don't use open fist shots (or is it called open hand shots?), not to mention JR was complaining about when a wrestler does that. So my question is if wrestlers are not allowed to punch with a closed fist like any normal person, how are they suppose to strike with their hands? I'm sure they aren't just suppose to slap each other around like girls." - Brandon
1. That was just Chris Benoit selling like a motherfucker. They worked the gimmick with Holly's plate in his arm for a few weeks before they promptly forgot about it and Holly returned to being Hardcore Holly. Nice idea in theory, but it was too much like the thing they did with Lex Luger in the mid-90s to ever get over on a major level.
2. You can slap somebody pretty hard without it seeming "girlish". Another popular method is the palm strike, which is especially popular in Japan and with indy wrestlers that watch a lot of Japanese wrestling. It looks pretty much like it sounds, the wrestler hits their opponent hard with the palm of their hand. It looks pretty cool, and is nice and legal. To be honest, you don't usually see people get disqualified for using closed fists, so most wrestlers say "hell with it" and use closed fists anyway.
"Here's a quick one... besides just to annoy me (which
I'm sure is a WWE top priority... ha), what's the deal
with first the Hulk Hogan DVD, and then the Roddy
Piper DVD, having an extra disc exclusively with
Wal-mart and then Circuit City? Was it for bonus
advertising within each national store? From amazon
reviews, it seemed to cause more grumbling and
confusion than anything, because so many people wanted
the bonus disc." - Jesse Nelson
It's probably something special that WWE does for the stores that they do the best business at. Wal-Mart obviously speaks for itself with its sales figures, and stores like Circuit City & Best Buy do good business as well. Plus, they were probably hoping that the diehard fans would go to each store and buy the DVDs at each one so they can get all the discs. You laugh now, but look in your sister's room, dig into the closet and you'll probably find 5 of the same N'Sync CD. Some people will buy multiple copies of anything to support their favorite peeps.
"I was wondering if you could list the different customized championship belts there've been through the years. This would include Warrior's custom strap colors." - RM
Off the top of my head...of course there was Steve Austin's Smoking Skull title belt. Lance Storm "Canadianized" the WCW US title belt when he was US Champion. Ultimate Warrior changed the WWF title strap color to white and the IC title strap color to yellow. Shawn Michaels changed the color of the IC title strap to baby blue when he first held it, then switched it to white. Jeff Jarrett, Marty Jannetty and Dean Douglas also held the white version. Goldust made the IC strap color gold leather during one of his reigns. Then you have John Cena's funky belts, and the one Edge made just like Cena's. I'm sure there are plenty more, but this is what I've got off the top of my head.
"Ok this kinda has something to do with wrestling. I was reading the ask 411 last
week and someone said "holmes" to you and i was thinking how me and my friend
were arguing over whether its "homes" or "holmes" and he said it was "holmes"
and i said it was "homes" so what do you think?
Do you think or know if CM Punk is a cocky jerk in real life? Cause i was
watching this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up7WdSpiPsc and he came
up to this dude who was like his biggest fan and CM Punk act like he was about
to shake his hand and then wipes his hair like a cocky jerk. So what do you
think? Thanks." - hiphopshuvit
1. Both "homes" and "holmes" are acceptable ways to address friends of yours. I guess which one you use is based on personal preference. I usually use "holmes" myself because Eddie Guerrero used to say it a lot.
2. I don't personally know the man, but there have been plenty of people who have said that Punk isn't the nicest of cats outside the ring. So he could very well be a complete asshole, but I've never believed in judging wrestlers based on what they do in their personal lives, or who they are outside the ring. My criticisms of Punk are based on the Internet fans blowing him way out of proportion more than anything else...he's not the Savior of Pro Wrestling like some would tell you he is.
"I became a wrestling fan as a child in the early 80's. I grew up without cable t.v. and had a limited exposure to WWF wrestling as well. So, the main company I followed was the Memphis (CWA/USWA/etc.) group. My question is about Jerry "The King" Lawler who, as you know, dominated the federation for years. He always wore wrestling tights with a single strap over the shoulder. And, much like Hogan "Hulking-Up", Lawler would put the strap down and it was lights out from there. Have you heard any stories on how this originated? It is a simple, somewhat corny thing to do. But it really worked as a gimmick to get the fans fired up. I mean the strap went over his left shoulder and he was right handed. So, it was obvious it didn't really do anything to help him punch. Thanks in advance for the fine answer." - Robert Nelson
Ah, the pulling down of the strap. I didn't have access to Memphis wrestling during my youth, but I've gotten to watch some of Lawler's classic matches on videotape & DVD, and it's amazing how crazy the fans would go when that strap came down. I have never heard the story of how Lawler started that, but apparently on the Dec. 2 edition of the Memphis Wrestling TV show, Lance Russell actually did a segment where he "explained the magic of Jerry Lawler pulling down the strap". I can only hope that one of you readers live in Memphis and watch this show, because that sounds too awesome for words.
"1.Starrcade '97 was the first PPV I ever saw.One of the matches that was supposed to happen was Kevin Nash vs. The Giant(Big Show).Obviously it never happened.My question is how come it never happened?
2.Who plays Kane's song?He's had that song for more than 3 years but I have never figured out who exactly plays it.Is it Finger Eleven?Also, 2 WWE cd's have come out since he's had that song.Why hasn't it appeared on either of them?
3.I've heard that the next outside PPV for TNA may come in January or February and it could take place in either Chicago or Hidalgo.Have you heard anything about this?" -Tony
1. Nash caught "jobberitis"...he called in sick. Apparently he said he thought he was having a heart attack. Oddly enough, Nash has had other medical problems just before big matches in recent years, like before Bound for Glory 2005 when he was set to face Jeff Jarrett in the main event, and before the TNA PPV this year where he was scheduled to face Chris Sabin. These things can happen to anybody, though.
2. Kane's song is by Finger Eleven, and is called "Slow Chemical". I seem to recall that it was a "bonus track" on one of the WWE CDs that you had to access their website to get. Your best bet might be waiting for the next WWE Anthology.
3. I reported something on this in News From Cook's Corner several weeks ago...TNA is considering having several of their PPV events outside the Impact Zone next year due to the success of Bound For Glory in Michigan. There has been no word on when they would do this, and rumored sites include Chicago, St. Louis, and either Hidalgo or Laredo, Texas. The Texas site is Konnan's idea, and Chicago & St. Louis could do well due to the involvement of baseball players from those cities.
"Do you think Austin vs Hogan will ever happen and who should win?" - RJEVH01
I don't believe it will...too much politics. Sure, there's lots of money to be made with an Austin vs. Hogan match, but Austin doesn't seem to need the money, and he doesn't seem to have any interest in working with Hogan either. That we know of. Never say never in wrestling. But, I would rate the prospects of an Austin vs. Hogan match as "highly unlikely".
As for who "should" win...Austin. I like Austin, I don't like Hogan. Simple as that.
"My question is this. I had always thought it would be cool to mix 2 of the most dangerous matches, a Ladder Match and a Cage Match. I never thought it was done, but I've been told by a few people that it has been done before, but I've never seen or heard of it. So I'll get down to the specificis. Where was it done? When? What company? Who was in the match? Was it a Successful match or a trainwreck or middle? Would it ever happen again?" - Drew
I'm drawing a blank. Anybody?
"I was wondering about injuries in pro wrestling. When an individual gets hurt and it requires time off. The fed will book an angle where that person is attacked and sufferes said injury. ie. Rey Mysterio. I understand that they want to sell the injury. However, in most cases why do this when 9 times out of 10 they only add to the REAL injury? For example when HBK needed a few weeks for his knee. He was attacked by the Spirit Squad, initiated by a brutal chairshot to his leg in mid sweet chin music motion. Another example was Stone Cold attacking Pillman's ankle. The Pillmanizing with the chair probably didn't do any harm but when Austin broke some crutches across his ankle didnt help either." - Reinaldo
Good question...I think the best answer is that the wrestling fans deserve to see why their favorite (or least favorite) wrestler won't be appearing on their television screen or at their show tonight. It seems kinda anti-climatic when the announcer says "Oh, Joe Bob blew out his knee last week slipping on a banana peel outside the ring, so he won't be here tonight." It does put a wrestler at risk of increasing the injury, but if it's done right, it shouldn't.
"What are your thoughts on the TNA vs WWE war that has been declared by VKM? Do you feel that it is something that Vince McMahon is actually debating on playing into, or do you feel that TNA, or i mean, Vince Russo, is trying to use the WWE name to get ratings?
Another "question" if I may. Regarding Kurt Angle in TNA, is there a pool at the 411mania.com offices on how long before Angle requires more neck surgery? if so, can you put me down $40 on 3 months. Honestly, I feel that the TNA product is more "flippity-floppity" and really, Angle signing for TNA was his death wish.
One last question. Monty Brown recently signed with WWE. Do you think he will be sent to Smackdown, Raw, or ECW? Will he be shoved into main event status like all the others, or get the Matt Hardy treatment?" - Mark
1. Verbally attacking the competition has always been a staple of wrestling promotions where Vince Russo was the head writer. WWF had DX come to WCW with a tank when Russo was there. WCW had stuff like "Buzzkill" and the "Old Age Outlaws" when Russo was there. It's just what he does, and the Voodoo Kin Mafia is the newest example of this. I'm not a big fan of TNA focusing all this attention on what WWE's doing, but if that's how they want to go about things, so be it.
2. If I give you my address, will you send me the $40? Seriously though, I've expressed my concerns about Angle continuing to wrestle too, but if he didn't go to TNA, he would have gone somewhere else, most likely a mixed martial arts promotion looking to make some money off his name. I do think TNA is actually a better place for Angle to ply his trade and stay somewhat healthy than WWE, simply due to the schedule. Right now Angle really only has to put on his working boots for one show a month, and he can work a TV match once or twice, usually in tag team situations or multi-man matches where he doesn't have to do as much. There aren't very many house shows...unlike the WWE schedule where he'd be on the road all the time, Angle can actually spend most of his time at home resting up and being with his family. So while I would agree that TNA matches are more physically demanding than WWE matches (for the most part, there are many exceptions to that rule), I still think that TNA is a better option for Angle due to their easier schedule.
3. Monty has been rumored to be heading to Raw, and I think that would be the best brand for him to appear on. Raw focuses more on the "entertainment" aspect than either Smackdown or ECW does, and Monty's strength in TNA was not his in-ring work, but his charisma. I honestly have no idea how far he can go in WWE...I think he'll start out in the mid-card and then how he does there will dictate the rest of his stay.
"Just a quick one, I remember watching Dennis Rodman
with the NWO, I also remember ESPN covering the Rodman & Hogan vs. Luger & Giant
macth, and of course that sad match between Rodman and Karl Malone, but a friend
told me Rodman was involved with WCW way before that, he said this wasn't his
first time wrestling, is this true? and if so what did he do before NWO?" - Lord Ohtu
Rodman's first match was at the 1997 edition of Bash at the Beach, he teamed with Hogan against Lex Luger & The Giant for that one. His first appearance was with the NWO in early 1997, he kinda disappeared from it until it was time to do the deal with Malone at BATB 1998. His performance at BATB 1997 actually wasn't that bad, it was certainly better than his performance the next year, and probably every match he's had since then.
"About the whole Canadian Destroyer thing. yeah your definitely right about it being one of the most dangerous moves in wrestling. I mean i've seen some pretty sick clips of AJ taking the Canadian destroyer where he landed very much so off. also: what tag team has had the most reigns(with the same people)) and also which team had the longest reign? if you can please list what brands they work for." - John Bryant
As far as major promotions go, the team with the most tag team title reigns is the Dudley Boys/Team 3D. They have 18 title reigns to their credit, including 8 reigns in ECW, 7 WWE Tag Team title reigns, 2 World (Raw) Tag Team title reigns, and 1 WCW Tag Team title reign during the Invasion.
Demolition held the WWF Tag Team titles for 478 days, from March 27, 1988 to July 18, 1989. I don't think there is a longer title reign on the books in a major promotion, but I could be forgetting somebody.
"1) This question goes back to early 98 right after wrestlemania 14. Cactus Jack
and Chainsaw Charlie(lol) were defending their titles against the New Age
Outlaws and were destroyed and brutally beaten after the match by DX while the
crowd chanted for Stone Cold..the next week Cactus Jack cut a really good promo
and basically telling the fans off for chanting for Stone Cold while they were
in pain...Cactus Jack said it would be awhile before we would see him in the
ring again...anyways either that night or the next week he returned as Dude Love
and turned Heel and became Corporate Dude Love...my question is...do you think
that Cactus vs Stone Cold in a brutal brawl cause Cactus was pissed cause they
chanted his name and eventually would lead him to Vince to take Austin down
would have been better than Dude Love? Or did that program work to perfection?
2) You said you are or were a Stone Cold fan..what would you say is your
favorite Steve Austin match?" - Drew Hall
1. I don't think Cactus Jack could have worked in that role for one simple reason...the main reason Vince didn't want Austin as the champion was that Austin would not conform to what Vince wanted his champion to be. Cactus Jack wouldn't have conformed either, and Mankind certainly wasn't what Vince envisioned as a champion, but Dude Love was more than willing to kiss Vince's ass. And really, it was easier for people to boo Foley as Dude Love than for them to boo him as Cactus Jack.
2. Tough question. I hate to give such an obvious answer, but the match between Austin & Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 was simply a classic wrestling match that told a great story and changed the heel/face affiliation of both wrestlers. Doesn't get any better than that in my book.
"I was wondering if you knew of a comprehensive list of which bars in
the country, or just the Philadelphia area to be more specific, show
WWE and/or TNA PPVs. Hopefully someone out there did the research that
I don't have the time to do." - Stephen Lipenta
I didn't see any Philly locations, but WWE lists all the places that show every WWE PPV here. I found no such list for TNA, but anybody from the Philly area that knows something should feel free to write in.
"I didn't know who else to ask, so I figured I'd ask 411.
If Triple H is "The Game," and Ric Flair is, "The Dirtiest Player in The Game," what does that make Stephanie McMahon?
Punchin Out." - Dan Montero
Cleaner than Ric Flair. But seriously, who isn't?
Well, that wraps up this edition of Ask 411 Wrestling. Tune in next week when I'll answer some more questions! Of course, in order to do that I'll need some fresh new questions, and that's where you guys come in. E-Mail me at scook411@hotmail.com and ask me anything you want to know about professional wrestling or anything relating to it. The only rule I really have is that since this thing will be posted Wednesdays at 3:00, I won't be answering anything that shows up...let's say after Raw on the Monday the week that the column is posted. You can send it, but it won't be answered here until at least the next week. Oh, and make sure you have something about "Ask 411" in the subject title, so I know you're not George Costanza trying to give me a donation to The Human Fund. And if it's a correction or addition, please be sure to mention that in the subject.
Oh, and if I don't respond to your e-mail, assume that I've received it anyway. I rarely have the time to personally respond to e-mail these days, which sucks because I would like to respond to all of you, but I can't. If you send a question and it doesn't get answered in...let's say 4 weeks or so, feel free to send it again because I might have read it and forgot to answer it. It happens sometimes.
