Ask 411 Wrestling 02.20.08: Kane, Kisses, Christy Canyon and more!

Posted by Steve Cook on 02.20.2008

Including lots of questions about the Royal Rumble! If I wasn't always a month or so behind my columns would probably be more relevant.



It's time to Ask 411 Wrestling! I'm Steve Cook, and I'm back again with more questions from the wrestling public and answers coming out of my rear end! We're over the 7,000 word mark this week, so I'll spare you the incessant rambling about my sports teams that you likely don't care about. I will say that the Daytona 500 was not kind to my Fantasy NASCAR team. Stupid Hendrick Motorsports!

For future reference, any questions being sent in for answering in this column must be sent to [e-mail]. I will not answer questions in the comment section for two reasons:

1. It would be unfair to the 90-something people who are waiting on me to answer questions that they sent me days/weeks ago
2. I'm far too lazy to continually scroll down to the bottom of my columns to look for questions

Sending your question to my e-mail address and posting it in the comment section will not improve your chances of getting it answered. The only time I will move a question forward is if I happen to like the topic. For example, if you ask me a question about Sara Del Rey I will answer it as soon as possible. On the flip side, if you ask me a question about Randy Savage getting into the WWE Hall of Fame, I will ignore it. I'm biased like that, but at least I admit it. Also, when the e-mails are titled "Ask 411" or "Ask 411 Wrestling" or something along those lines, I will not open them until I get to their spot in line. I'm just letting you guys know all of these things that you may not know in order to help you. Helping people is what I'm all about.

Comments, Corrections & Other "C" Words

You're probably sick of the meeting wrestlers emails but I've got another one for you. I was going to Wizard World Philly (a comic convention). Me and my buddies parked and were walking toward the convention center when my one friend siad something noticed Virgil walking looking lost. He caught up to him started talking and walked with him to the convention center. Later in the day when we walk by his signing table, we get to talking to him again and ask if we can get a picture with him. Being the dick that he is, he said no but said we could get one if we bought an autographed 8x10 for $25. I know a wrestler's gotta eat, but c'mon. We helped him out earlier!

Also, I saw Blue Meanie in the security line at the Philly airport...that is all. – Matt

$25 for a Virgil autograph? I paid $5 for a Steve Austin autograph at a car show. Only a sucker would pay that much for an autograph from Virgil.

I was just browsing through your latest Ask411 column and wanted to clarify something about Tommy Young. You weren't that far off, but it was his neck that was injured, not his back (Stay away from Wikipedia!). His words from an interview:

"What happened was that when Rich shoved me he also raised his foot, which was about as big as this table, and he tripped me. I lost my balance, and when I lunged to grab the ropes to protect myself I missed, and went through the ropes. The middle rope hit me right between the eyes and my neck just snapped. Everything jammed together." Page 5 of the interview
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/Resource_Center/interviews/young/tommy_young01.htm

I wasn't necessarily correcting you for a little mistake, I wanted to pass this along to anyone who is a fan of the old Mid-Atlantic or Crockett-based wrestling. There are some really good interviews on that site. Thanks... – Masked Fatman

I saw your answer regarding JBA and since I write about joshi puroresu on my blog http://frankp316.blogspot.com/ and I'm familiar with joshi history, I thought I'd let you know how they came to the WWF. You made one error that a lot of fans make. All Japan & All Japan Women were different companies. Here's the story.

The Fabulous Moolah had been sending her wrestlers to AJW regularly since 1979. She was still doing that in 1986. The idea came up to bring a joshi tag team to the WWF. The most popular team in AJW were The Crush Gals (Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka). They were brought in to work a Boston Garden match in 1986. You can view this match on video. They also brought in AJW's #1 heel team The Atrocious Alliance (Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano) to work a TV match. The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazki & Noriyo Tateno) were an up & coming team. But by 1987 they had graduated to main events. So the WWF settled on them. JBA was very popular on house shows but for some reason they weren't on TV much. I suspect this was because the announcers didn't know their names. That was true when Vince McMahon called the Royal Rumble when JBA won the tag titles. He was fed their names during commercial. JBA's run in the WWF ended when Moolah's working agreement with AJW ended in 1988. Noriyo Tateno has been wrestling for Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling (LLPW) since 1994. Itsuki Yamazki retired in 1989 and lives in New York City with her husband and owns the GO sushi restaurant. She also wrote her autobiography. Hope this helps you out. – Frank

Biggest WCW guy to never wrestle for WWF, if you count being over as hell in Japan, I would say Yuji Nagata, or being a wrestling god in Mexico, how about La Parka? - Chris

I'd have to go with Magnum TA, unless your excluding him because he was forced to retire before Crockett sold the promotion to Ted Turner.

I suppose to stretch a point he could also be disqualified for his ringside appearance for the Cody Rhodes match at Vengeance but he certainly never wrestled for McMahon. – David Lawrence

I really liked the question about biggest WCW star to never wrestle in WWE. I tried to stick with WCW guys(after the split with Crockett). One note, only 1 WCW World Champion has never wrestled in WWF/E....David Arquette.

U.S. Champions:
Steve McMichael
Kensuke Sazaki

Tag Team:
Bunkhouse Buck(Jimmy Golden)
Scotty Riggs
Public Enemy
Kenny Kaos
Great Muta
Vampiro
Lash Laroux

Others:
Jushin Liger

It's a pretty thin list that I could compile which surprised me at first. Then I thought of TNA's list, especially after it folds in a couple years. - Charlie

How about Arn Anderson as jobber to top star. He started as Marty Lunde jobber
in Mid South. Gained quite a lot of fame as a star holding quite a few belts
not too mention his involvement with the greatest stable of all time. – Special Delivery

The reason I discounted having the vomit in his mouth beforehand is because it
would be hard to argue with someone with something in his mouth. It would fly
all over the place if he did that.

Plus, it's not like he could hide it in his trunks and use it when his back was
against the camera. Too much potential for leakage.

Yes, I do feel silly for typing the above. – JLAJRC

Hall totally should have done that. Fake pissing your pants does a lot more to get over drunkenness than fake vomiting does. Not that I have ever pissed my pants while drunk…ok, there was the one time after the Bengals/Colts game, but that was a long car ride, damn it!

Thanks for putting up my question/comment. I still notice that Kennedy Carlito
Umaga and Orton seem to work most with each other over the other Raw heels,
especially doing vinces dirty work. But your right, Vince is focused on
himself.

Only Randy and Umaga are still Vince's monkeys. Kennedy maybe because he's bent
on getting rid of flair for vince, but really he seems to be doing this because
he wants to get Vince's support rather than because he's already a lackey. and
Carlito is now just focused on his tag team with Santino. Still I think that
Vince does keep favorite lackeys around and that they could always become
corporation 2.0 If Vince decides he needs to tame the roster. With Orton on Top
and card carrying ass-kiss Regal running the show Vince is pretty secure. But
Once Orton drops the belt, and the Hornswaggle buisness is done Vince might get
more active in punishing faces again. – Davis

In response to the question about the Winged Eagle belt being used in the
display case during the Zamboni incident, there is actually a logical storyline
reason for that belt being used... this was the episode of RAW right after
Austin dropped the title in the three-way with UT and Kane (where SCSA was
double-pinned). The title was declared vacant and McMahon was scheduled to
present the WW(F) title to the new champion (whoever that may have been, Austin
and his zamboni ruined the ceremony and we never found out about Vince's plans).
McMahon clearly hated Austin and his smoking skull title by proxy, so of course
he would want to present the classic Winged Eagle WW(F) title to his new
champion. See, once upon a time the E actually had continuity and logical
storytelling... believe it or not. – Tom

This has nothing to do with wrestling, but your American Beauty comment.

I've seen that film a number of times, and would easily credit it as one of my
favorites of all-time. And recently, the theater I run played it as a Midnight
Movie, and it sparked a discussion about the scene in question between Col.
Fitts and Lester.

A coworker said the same thing about his repressed homosexuality, but I never
bought that. No matter how many times I watch the film, I always draw the same
conclusion.

Col. Fitts is in no way gay, he is merely trying to understand what it is that
he just lost his son over. As we know, Ricky is not gay, and is in no way
having an affair with Lester, but that's the impression the Colonel can't
shake.

It affects him so deeply, that he tosses Ricky "into the streets"
without a second thought. Regardless of his reason(s), there is no question the
impact this action would have on any father. He has just severed ties with his
only child, and has done it over a very ignorant, short-sighted belief.

In talking to Lester, and therefore kissing him, Fitts was not expressing any
sort of sexual feelings, he was merely trying to comprehend what he had just
done, and why he had done it. He viewed Lester as the catalyst for his family
breaking down (hence ending his life), and he had to know why. He had to know
what it was that had drove him to kicking Ricky out and promising never to
speak to him again.

In short, he wasn't gay; far from it. He simply had to understand what he had
thrown away his child for. What was so appealing about Lester as to provoke
such a reaction?

Sorry if that was way too long-winded. Keep up the good work. – Talon

That is a very interesting theory. I'm not sure I can expound on it further without spoiling the end of the movie for those who haven't seen it (poor bastards), but I don't see how the movie arrives at the conclusion it does if Fitts didn't have some homosexual feelings that he had been holding in for years and years. The one way I can see your theory working out is that after Fitts kissed Lester, he still didn't understand it. And you know, if I were Fitts and thought that my son was gay, I wouldn't understand it either. For heaven's sake, they live next door to Thora Birch. I'll re-watch the movie and see if I can agree with your theory after further study.

Questions!

Hi Steve. I've written to you before and you have responded before and I just want to say that I enjoy your columns. I have a question about the WWF/E Hall of Fame. Is the WWF/E HOF purely a political one or do they have actual writers and other HOF'ers that vote people in? I mean it must be political and must be controlled by Vince McMahon because some of the greatest names aren't in yet. I mean, despite his heat with the Macho Man, Savage belongs in it. Also Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Yokozuna, Ted Dibiase, The Road Warriors, Miss Elizabeth, Bad News Brown, and several others belong in it. I was surprised that they inducted Eddie Guerrero only four months after this death in 2005 to the HOF while Owen has been gone for nearly 9 years and he's still not in. Bulldog has been gone for almost 6 years. Thanks - Dan H. from Maryland

If the Hall of Fame was having regular inductions back in 1999, Owen would likely have been inducted then. The only reason I can think of that he hasn't been since is because his widow isn't exactly on the best of terms with WWE. I would love to see both British Bulldogs get inducted, but what are the odds of them getting Dynamite Kid across the pond? To answer your question, it's mostly political. I believe that HOFers and other WWE insiders get "ballots", but wrestlers won't get inducted if Vince McMahon doesn't want them in the Hall of Fame.

Hi Steve - Love the article, weekly ritual. I'm writing concerning a big pet peeve of mine concerning the Royal Rumble. I was wondering if it has always been a rule that you can only be eliminated if you go over the TOP rope, but if you fall between or crawl under them, you can jump back in later on. I know it's happen a few times where participants just waited outside the ring only to jump back in later and win the Rumble. (Do you have a list of who's taken advantage of this rule?) I've always hated that rule and was wondering if there was any history behind it? – Joel

The only time somebody just waited forever outside the ring to win the Rumble was Vince McMahon's victory in 1999. There have been other instances where future Rumble winners would end up on the floor but wouldn't stay there long. Ric Flair spent a little bit of time on the floor during the 1992 Rumble, Shawn Michaels got tossed onto the floor by Vader in 1996 but it didn't count because Vader was already eliminated & Steve Austin was tossed out in 1997 behind the referee's back. I'm sure there are other examples, but my memory fails me at the moment. As far as your first question goes, it's always been that way ever since the concept of the battle royal was invented. You gotta go over the top rope. That creates more drama and more intrigue.

With Wrestlemania 24 being outdoors this year, have
there been any PPVs/major shows that have been held outdoors that had to be
moved, canceled or postponed due to inclement weather, power outages,
earthquakes, acts of God, etc...? Thanks as always. – Cory

Well, there's the infamous venue change for WrestleMania VII, which was originally supposed to be held at Los Angeles' Memorial Coliseum but was moved to the Sports Arena. The WWF claimed that the move was due to security concerns, but the real reason was sluggish ticket sales that would have resulted in most of the 92,000 seat Coliseum being empty. Outdoor PPV shows other than that one have gone off without any weather concerns, but there have been occasions where shows have been rained on. The most recent one I remember hearing about was an OVW show at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom last summer. John Cena was working the main event and the rain ended up washing out most of the show. The Hulk Still Rules DVD features a match with Hogan & John Studd from Puerto Rico that took place during a torrential downpour. So it's happened in the past, but fortunately not during any major PPV shows.

My question is an interesting one. I've heard somewhere that legendary Porn Star Christy Canyons and Mick Foley have or had some kind of relationship. I actully knew both of them seperatly with out the other's name menchioned, so here's my question. What exactly is the relationship. Where they friends form a while ago? Is Jolly old Saint Mick really a fan of her work or even a customer? Is she a wrestling fan and loved his multi charachters? If you can find out, thanks. – Drew

Foley wrote Canyon a letter complimenting her on her autobiography, and since then they have been pen pals, with Foley even making appearance on her Playboy radio show. Prior to their meeting, Mick was quite a fan of Christy's work…in fact he used one of her pornos while working to help his wife get pregnant with baby Mickey. He discusses this relationship in The Hardcore Diaries, which somehow I still haven't gotten around to reading.

Chris has a couple of questions and wants to comment on something another reader said…

I've got to call out Dan from Brooklyn. Dan said that Piper jobbing to Snuka and not Hogan a year later was like jobbing to X-Pac and not HHH. In the early ‘80s Jimmy Snuka was the biggest face in all of wrestling. I remember reading a Wrestling Observer that detailed the people that had won ‘Wrestler of the Year' since the magazine began. Snuka won the award consistently from the late ‘70s through Hogan's rise. Doing the job to a guy like that and not for Hogan, at that time, was more like doing the job for Shawn Michaels, but not laying down for HHH. Snuka continued to have huge pops throughout the ‘80s. Now for the questions…

What ended up happening to the One Man Gang/Akeem after his WWF run? I remember the guy as a massive monster heel (especially during his OMG stint), but he just disappeared all of the sudden. It might just be because I also don't remember him being all that talented…maybe Vince just finally bought a clue?

The Gang went to WCW immediately after his departure, disappeared into the indy scene (including the Global Wrestling Federation) shortly after that, and returned to WCW in 1995. He had a brief run with the US title before fading away…he did make one AWF appearance and had a cup of coffee in ECW. Currently he works as a prison guard and still makes random wrestling appearances from time to time.

I had the pleasure to meet Harley Race when I was a kid (at a Midas, of all places). He showed me a scar on his torso (yes, there was a reaction in the room when a tattoed older man lifted his shirt for a ten year-old boy in a public place) and said that it was the injury that ended his career. Something about a Saturday Night Main Event match with Hulk Hogan involving a botched move on a table. Is there any truth to that, or was he just trying to ruin a kid's imagination?

Harley speaks the truth…the scar that he showed you was from a hernia that he suffered during a match with Hulk Hogan on a 1988 edition of SNME. Race was attempting to do his diving headbutt on Hogan, who was laid out on a table, but Hogan moved and Race went torso first through the table. Back in the old days the tables weren't gimmicked like they are now, and the metal edge of the table jabbed up into Race's abdomen. It caused a hernia, and Race would end up leaving the WWF after a brief comeback attempt where he put over Haku. He did some wrestling in the WWC, NWA & AWA afterwards, but he was never the same after the hernia injury and ended up retiring in 1991.

Do you see Samoa Joe going to WWE within the next two years, or do you see Rob Van Dam heading to TNA within the following year?-Brian from Erie, Pa.

I don't see RVD going to TNA. The latest news on Samoa Joe's TNA contract is that it doesn't expire until 2010 or 2011. I would count on seeing Joe in TNA for the next two years and RVD out of wrestling for the next year unless WWE makes him an offer he can't refuse.

Do you remember on Smackdown in 2001 (or 2002 I'm not sure) after Booker T got the stinkface from Rikishi, he throw up on Michael Cole? My question is did he actually throw up on Cole or was it staged, I don't know how they could have staged it because it was right after the match (it was hirlious that Jerry Lawler keep laughing at Cole for the rest of the show).

I hope Macho Man returns and drops an elbow on Cole (printed on a poster maybe?). – Andrew

I found a recap of the show you speak of on CRZ's website. Apparently there used to be a clip on YouTube but the user took it down. I'm guessing they could have found a way to get some fake vomit in Booker's mouth during the instant replay or while he was selling the Stinkface or selling something during the match. Of course, if I got the Stinkface I'd probably throw up for real.

Kurt Angel and Brock Lesnar once upon a time they kissed in a WWE ring. Where and when did this happen? – David

Here's a clip. It took place at the July 22, 2003 Smackdown taping in Fresno, California and never made the air. You guys probably know how WWE television tapings usually feature something extra at the end, whether it be another match, a Stone Cold Steve Austin beer celebration, or a kiss between two heterosexual males. This was one of those moments. Brock later stated that Kurt doesn't kiss like a guy. I'm still not sure what that meant.

Nelson (HA HA) has three questions…

You've probably gotten this email 50 times already, but as it pertains to;

Rey Mysterio is the only WWE (World) champion that you're forgetting. In WCW/NWA, Ricky Steamboat liked to use a
cross-body press off the top rope as his primary finisher and used it to win the title from Ric Flair. In ECW, Sabu had
several moves you could call finishers, but the ones he used most often were both off the top rope (Arabian Facebuster,
Triple Jump Moonsault). Mike Awesome liked to win matches with a sit-out power bomb off the top rope. That's the list!

Didn't Steamboat win the belt with a double-arm chicken wing?? That's what
I seem to remember and I didn't feel like looking it up.

Steamboat won the title with a cross-body off the top at the Chi-Town Rumble. He got Flair to submit to the double-arm chicken wing during their two out of three falls match at Clash of the Champions VI. That's probably what you're thinking of.

Would Chavito count now? He uses the frog splash sometimes. What about
Benoit's headbutt? I guess it was kind of phased out as a finisher once he
won the gold, but still....

You can count Chavo if you like since he has beaten people with the frog splash. The diving headbutt finished a handful of times that I can remember, so I didn't really consider it a finisher. I always thought it was retarded that he didn't use that as a finisher…just ask my friend who downloads the PPVs for me about how I used to complain about how that move was an unnecessary risk because it never beat anybody. And that was before we knew just how crazy the guy went.

Also, if Brock Lesnar had nailed that Shooting Star Press at WM XIX, what
do you think are the chances that he would have started using that fairly
regularly? Meaning like special occasions, ala WM19?

Brock used to do the Shooting Star Press occasionally in OVW, so I assume he was hoping that would be something he could do on special occasions in WWE. Obviously he had second thoughts after landing on his head. At least he was smart enough to learn from his mistakes, right?

This is from one of the early 90's Rumbles. Pre-Raw, the competitors were introduced on the Saturday syndicated shows over a number of weeks. This year they announced only 29 entrants, saying the 30th was a mystery entrant. They made it sound like it would be someone big.

Midway through the match, with only Bret Hart in the ring, no one appeared when the buzzer sounded. Jerry Lawler then announced himself as the mystery entrant. He got up from the announcing table, climbed into the ring, took a few punches from Bret, was thrown over the top rope and then returned to the announce table. All of this happened in about one minute's time.My impression was "Is that all there is? ". Total disappointment.

My question is was that the plan all along ? Or was Lawler a substitute for something else that fell through ?
And if so, what was it? I just can't believe they planned such a lame payoff to the angle. – J

I believe that was the plan all along. You have to keep in mind that WWF surprises in that era were usually pretty big let-downs. Like the time Jimmy Snuka was a mystery partner at Survivor Series 1996, or the time Savio Vega was a mystery partner at No Way Out (of Texas) 1998. WWF's "big surprises" were a running joke among wrestling fans during that era.

BS has several questions about William Regal & the Royal Rumble…

1) For a long time the Titantron for William Regal included the words "Born Naughty". I have never heard Regal or anyone else use this phrase to describe him. Plus it sounds kind of naff (I think that's what they say in England) Do you have any idea why the phrase is used and what it has to do with Regal?

This was from a promo that Regal did against Triple H after the Game had brutalized Eugene the week before. At this time Regal was Eugene's babysitter of sorts, and he had taken a liking to the big lug. He didn't take kindly to Triple H beating Eugene up, so the next week on Raw, he confronted Triple H on the August 2, 2004 edition of Raw…

"You see, you and me, we know each other quite well, don't we? Let me give these fine people a little history lesson...it was 11 years ago, we were a tag team in WCW. In fact, I was your mentor, wasn't I? Yes, indeed, I was. And let's face facts: some people, people like us, we're just born naughty. That's why we gravitated towards each other. And if you had used and abused anyone other than that poor lad Eugene, I would have applauded your cunning, sir. But for a clever man such as yourself, it was rather foolish of you to have abused that poor disadvantaged boy, because now you have made an enemy out of me! And if you're looking for a fight, well look no bloody further! Because I will gladly go back there, change into my ring attire, and meet you back in that ring and I shall battle you with every ounce of vile and venom that runs through my veins!"

The "born naughty" phrase caught on for a little while, as it appeared in Regal's Titantron video and there was a t-shirt made with the phrase on it.

I liked the use of stats in the build up to this tears Rumble, but this only leads me to wonder about some more. For example:

2) I know WWE listed Shawn as having competed in the most Rumbles, but I'm pretty sure Kane would have been in more if you count his stints as Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel. Is this right?

Glen Jacobs has been in 12 Royal Rumble matches, which is one more than Shawn Michaels' 11. However, don't expect WWE to recognize Kane as having the most Rumble appearances for a very simple reason…in WWE canon Kane was not Isaac Yankem or Fake Diesel. Kayfabe!

3) Who has been in the most Rumbles without eliminating anyone?

Howard Finkel.

Seriously though, I spent quite a bit of time on this question and I couldn't find a really good answer. Even guys you didn't think would have eliminated anybody managed to toss somebody out at one point. I invite anybody else to take a crack at it, but you're not going to find somebody that's been in a large amount of Rumbles that didn't manage to get somebody out of there.

4) How many men have won the Rumble on their first attempt?

Nine men have won the Rumble on their first try. They are Jim Duggan, Big John Studd, Ric Flair, Yokozuna, Lex Luger (co-winner), Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar & the 2004 winner of the Royal Rumble.

Who has the record for most consecutive eliminations? Khali's effort last year would be hard to beat but I remember Diesel, Austin and Kane going on rampages before which left high body counts.

Khali (2007), Rikishi (2000) & Diesel (1994) are tied with seven straight.

How many second generation Rumble entrants have their been? I mean which fathers and sons have both competed in Rumbles. I have a vague recollection of Carlitos dad making a brief appearance in the early 90's. Did Dusty make it to the Rumble? I'm not counting Vince and Hornswoggle.

Carlos & Carlito Colon and Dusty, Dustin & Cody Rhodes are the only father/son combos to make it in so far. Looking at the developmental system tells me that they will not be the last.

and finally
Which former or future World Champions have have lasted less than a minute in the Rumble. I can start you off with Lawler, Tazz, Bradshaw and Foley, but I'm sure there are a few more. - BS

I'm counting WCW, ECW & AWA World titles in additon to WWE sanctioned world championships in this listing…

Sandman – 13 seconds in 2007
Booker T – 18 seconds in 2006, 33 seconds in 2002
Chavo Guerrero – 59 seconds in 2006
Kurt Angle – 37 seconds in 2005
Bradshaw – 38 seconds in 2004, 25 seconds in 2000
Mick Foley – 43 seconds in 2004
Tommy Dreamer – 48 seconds in 2003
Faarooq – 36 seconds in 2002, 58 seconds in 2001, 18 seconds in 2000, 41 seconds in 1997
Tazz – 10 seconds in 2001
Kane – 53 seconds in 1999
Jerry Lawler – 4 seconds in 1997
Bob Backlund – 16 seconds in 1995, 41 seconds in 1994
Randy Savage – no-showed in 1991
Shawn Michaels – 12 seconds in 1990

Really, I want to know about Heel/Face tag teams. And not the bullshit kind where Vince mcMahon makes enemies become tag partners. Teams like Steen/Generico, and that neat run Luger and Sting had way back in the day. What are some other great tag teams featuring a rule breaker and a babyface? – Nate

Back in the old days you had more regular tag teams that always worked together and always had the same goals. Therefore, you didn't see regular tag teams that had one guy as a babyface and one guy as a heel. Maybe you had one scientific wrestler and one brawler together, or another mis-mash of wrestling styles, but generally both wrestlers were either cheered or booed. That's why the team of Sting & Luger worked so well in mid-1990s WCW…nobody had seen something like that before.

Has there ever been an instance when a wrestler tapped or submitted while touching the rope during the referee's "five count"? Not because of a blind/incomptent/oblivious referee (as in when Benoit won the W.C.W. title from Sid) but because the pain was too excrutiating? I'm sure you understand what I'm saying so I won't bother with further clarification. Thanks! Your column's great and one of my favorites as I'm sure it is every reader's. – Kyle

There isn't one that comes to mind off the top of my head, no. But if I understand the rules of pro wrestling correctly (and I believe that I do), a tap out or verbal submission would not count after the wrestler was able to reach the ropes. Once they reach the ropes, the hold has to be broken by the wrestler before the count of five. Unless the referee has a really long count, the wrestler who's getting the hold applied on them should be able to survive without having to submit.

I stopped watching wrestling a while back, and only recently started becoming somewhat re-interested in it. Two years ago, there was an angle involving a fake Kane who repeatedly attacked the real Kane. From the little research I did, I saw they had a match at Vengeance and eventually Kane took his mask back from the impostor. Anyway, I was wondering what--if anything-that angle was about? Did it lead to anything? Did they ever explain why a fake Kane was attacking the real one? – Nate

This whole angle was so terrible that I'm not sure I want to re-tell the story here. But, here goes nothing…Kane was featured in See No Evil, a movie that came out on May 19, 2006. To help build up to this, WWE did an angle after WrestleMania 22 where Kane kept hearing the words "May 19th". I think Kane was supposed to be the only one that heard this, which was supposed to make him crazy, but they played it over the loudspeaker so everybody heard it. So maybe we were all crazy. I just remember being in attendance for a match between Kane & Big Show at Backlash 2006 that was unspeakably bad and featured this horrible angle with voices and weird lights and stuff. Easily the worst match I've seen live, and that covers a lot of ground. Anyway, Kane eventually revealed that May 19 was the date that his parents were burned to death in the fire. We found out that the source of the voices was a guy that was dressed up just like Kane, and that then leads to all the stuff you saw. It led to nothing and I don't think it was ever adequately explained. It may have led to something if the Vengeance match wasn't so awful that Fake Kane got sent back down to Deep South Wrestling. Eventually Fake Kane resurfaced as Festus of Jesse & Festus fame.

J. Ross has six questions and a comment…

1.Maybe I'm way off here, but I seem to remember Kane being in DX at one time or another, any truth to that or am I dreaming? If kane was never in DX can you think of any time that they were affiliated, or worked together for any reason at all, besides the Shawn Michaels, Taker hell in the cell?

Kane teamed with X-Pac from March 1999 to October 1999, and occasionally Road Dogg would team with them. That was the closest Kane came to being part of DX. One time he said "Suck it."

2.How long were the "Megapowers" (Hogan, Savage) together, did they ever wear the Tag titles?

The Megapowers never won the tag team titles (I'm not even sure they got a shot at the titles) during their run together from March 1988 to February 1989. They joined together just after Savage turned babyface…it was on Saturday Night's Main Event when Savage was being attacked by Honky Tonk Man & the Hart Foundation that Miss Elizabeth brought out Hulk Hogan to save the day. The alliance ended when Savage got jealous of Hogan's relationship with Elizabeth and the rest, as they say, is history.

3.I havent seen any DX videos, but what I'm wondering is this, In the new Shawn Michaels DVD when they talk about DX, the New age outlaws are never mentioned(niether is X-Pac for that matter, but in my opinion hes better off forgotten,"bronco buster",gay.....) Anyway, my question is this, are the new age outlaws openly referred to as past members of DX, or does WWE just leave them out of all WWE home videos, and hope we just forget that they exsisted?

To be fair, Shawn Michaels was never in DX at the same time as the New Age Outlaws or X-Pac. So I understand why they weren't mentioned in this particular DVD. Somebody who has seen the new DX DVD can tell you if X-Pac & the NAO get some airtime there.

4. Why are there no cool denominations, or "stables" these days in wrestling, Is it not as big a draw as it used to be, Ive just noticed that the only group of worthy mention lately would be Evolution. I, and Im sure others, have always found that being in a group can really give a wrestler a big push. So why no groups?

My theory is that people got burned out on groups in the late 90s-early 00s. You had New World Orders, Nations of Domination, Disciples of Apocalypse, Corporations, Ministries of Darkness, Corporate Ministries, Dungeons of Doom, Job Squads, Broods, and way too many more to name here. The whole concept was burned out, so they decided to take it away for a while. That's smart business in my book, because future groups will seem more special if there aren't so many of them.

5. Am I the only person who thinks that the storylines in wrestling have become a little bland, and a lot less "cutting edge" since the days of - Hart foundation vs DX, or even as far back as Jake vs Rick Rude feud over Cheryl Roberts.Jake tears off Rudes pants exposing literally everything. Storylines these days dont even touch stuff like that, now I know that was kind of Jakes own doing, but a lot of the storylines in those days were pretty cutting edge, or at least really entertaining.Question is this,Has the audience changed their taste in what they want to see, or does the WWE need better writers/Talent?

I asked my friend Penguin about this, and this is what he had to say…

TV, Movies, Music and Life in general have gotten closer and closer to R-Rated. As such, wrestling doesn't seem as risque as it used to. I don't think anyone that saw the DX "cock segments" would say that wrestling isn't "cutting edge" as far as pushing the envelope of the censors. I'll agree that things were a bit more tasteless in the attitude era, but that's more based on the characters of the time (Satanic Undertaker to Godfather to DX) than the writers. As far as if the E needs new writers? Not if you are still tuning in every week.

The fish makes viable points.

I Know these are really broad questions, but I was just hoping you could shed a little light on the subjects. Oh, and I just wanted to add that if Jeff Hardy ever wins the WWE title I will lose all faith in wrestling, hes just not believable as a champ, intercontinental, maybe, but the guy is about as big as a pre-pubescent teenager, I cant, even using imagination, believe that he could defend against HHH, Orten, JBL, or any other guy on the roster for that matter.

I'm no Jeff Hardy fan, but did you have the same opinion about Rey Mysterio? Hell, Eddie Guerrero was shorter than Hardy. Just saying.

Great column as always. I was checking it out this week and a reader named Hank was asking about Brody footage. If you still have his email would you mind forwarding him mine? This is the Brody stuff I have: For future reference if anyone is looking for any comps or anything I have a pretty extensive collection. Thanks!

Best of Bruiser Brody: The Real Hardcore Icon [4]
Disc 1
Bruiser Brody shoot interview
Bruiser Brody vs. Steve O
Bruiser Brody vs. Lex Luger (Steel Cage - handheld Shoot incident)
Bruiser Brody vs. Antonio Inoki (JIP from Hawaii)
Buiser Brody vs. Rick Rude
Bruiser Brody & Missing Link vs. Terry Gordy & Great Kabuki
Bruiser Brody vs. The Grappler

Disc 2
Bruiser Brody & Kerry Von Erich vs. Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes
Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher
Bruiser Brody vs. Jerry Lawler

Disc 3
Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen vs. Tenryu & Tsuruta
Bruiser Brody vs. Dick Murdoch
Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka vs. Masked Superstar & Dick Murdoch
Bruiser Brody vs. Bobo Brazil

Disc 4
Bruiser Brody vs. Bruno Sammartino
Bruiser Brody vs. Harley Race
Bruiser Brody vs. Michael Hayes
Bruiser Brody vs. Jerry Blackwell
Bruiser Brody vs. Kamala
Bruiser Brody & Kareem Muhammed vs. Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee
Red River Jack & Dingo Warrior vs. Bob Bradley & The Grappler
Bruiser Brody Japanese TV Commercial
Bruiser Brody vs. Buck Robley
Bruiser Brody & Keith Hart & Jeff McGruder vs. The Original Sheik & Mark Lewin & Kamal (Barbwire Match)

Best of Bruiser Brody in Puerto Rico
Bruiser Brody interview
Bruiser Brody vs. Carlos Colon (Chain Match - WWC Universal Title)
Bruiser Brody vs. The Invader #1
Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher
Bruiser Brody interview
Bruiser Brody vs. Hercules Ayala
Bruiser Brody vs. Kareem Mohammad
Bruiser Brody vs. Grizzly Boone
Bruiser Brody & Rocky Johnson vs. Mr. Pogo & Kendo Nagasaki
Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk, Jr
Bruiser Brody vs. El Solitario
Bruiser Brody vs. The Assassin #1
Bruiser Brody vs. El Exotico
Abdullah The Butcher vs. Armandito Salgato
Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher

For that or any other wrestling footage you may have a hankering for, contact Mike at [e-mail] I don't typically give out free plugs…ah, who am I kidding?

Jones has two questions…

I know the Attitude Era began with the Montreal
Screwjob and Stone Cold's first title win, but when
did it officially end? What would you call the era
we're in now?

The Shitty Era.

*rimshot*

I think the Attitude Era pretty much ended at WrestleMania X-Seven, which was WWF's last great show before the Invasion begun. As for a honest name for the current era…The Entertainment Era? You could cover everything that's happened since the switch to WWE with that name. Of course, one could argue if it's been all that entertaining or not, but that's a whole other column for somebody else to write.

And do you know where I can find an MP3 of the Rougeau
theme music? its not on the WWE anthology album. – Jones

As is tradition in this column, I ask you readers for MP3s because I do not illegally download music. Mostly because my computer got blown up by Kazaa once upon a time.

Is Randy Orton's theme song lyrics specifically for
Evolution? How many wrestlers have music from an
angle? Christian comes to mind when he and Edge split
in the ealry 2000s. – Isaac

Indeed they are. Jim Johnston wrote the song (apparently, there are differing accounts on that) and Mercy Drive performed it, and I have hated everybody involved ever since. God I hate that fucking song. The most famous music from an angle has to be Vince McMahon's theme "No Chance in Hell", which dates back to 1999 and his declaration that Steve Austin had "no chance in hell" of winning the Royal Rumble. That was the tagline for the show and the song was the theme song for the show as well. Vince liked it so much that he kept it as his theme music for the rest of his life and his re-birth.

Well, that's all we have time for this week! Any questions can be directed to [e-mail], and you can comment or correct via e-mail or comment section. Until next time, booooooooooooohica!