Brooklyn Brawlin 4.02.08: From Brawlin to Bawlin
Posted by Dan Torkel on 04.02.2008
How many times can a wrestling fan say he was crying all weekend and still sound manly? Find out inside!!!
Greetings and many a good salutation to all. I am the official "Newbie" Dan Torkel, from the home of such wrestling legends as Tazz and Cryme Tyme, Brooklyn NY.
I am soon to be 26 years old, teach social studies and am proud of my place in the fraternity of wrestling super-geekdom. I was honored to get a position writing for 411, even more proud that my first column would debut right after Wrestlemania XXIV, the biggest weekend of the year for pro-wrestling. Let me start by saying my first entrance into the 411 Roundtable was nearly a total failure as aside from Floyd Mayweather and the Undertaker I was 0 for Wrestlemania on my picks.
My quick and dirty thoughts on WM 24:
Dan's definition of irony - Missing the first three matches of Wrestlemania because you were at a party for the birthday of your former WRESTLING COACH! Thus I did not see JBL/Finlay, MITB, Batista/Umaga or the Kane/Chavo classic. But that is why the good lord invented WWE 24/7. I walked in right in time for Shawn vs. Flair and let me just say that while not perfect, this was as great as it could possibly have been. I will never forget the image of Shawn in the corner and "I'm sorry, I Love You" before the fatal superkick.
Shawn over Flair: ****
BunnyMania: This went so far long and the lights even went out. The girls tried but nature was against them: *
Orton over Cena & Triple H: **** I am going the 4 because even though I thought he should, I never actually believed Orton would retain so take that Cena marks! What's great is, working with high schooler's I can openly mock Cena's target fan base.
Mayweather over Show: *** on the entertainment value of the whole shindig, though I still question the entire angle.
Taker over Edge: ****3/4 I am SO tempted to go the full monty here. I LOVED THIS MATCH!!! The crowd was dead at the beginning and for about 5 minutes I was nervous they would be left out there to die but then something crazy happened...Edge carried Taker to his greatest WM match. Edge's picture perfect counter wrestling, including Chokeslam into Implant DDT and twice reversing Old School were classics. Here is the essential thing...NO ONE gave Edge a hope in hell of competing and by the end I was nearly convinced he would steal the win. First the bump allowed him to kick out of the Tombstone (which no one ever has at Wrestlemania) and then the camera shot and spear got the near fall. The second spear had me believing but the submission got hooked and Edge tapped. No shame in that loss and anyone who doubted Adam Copeland before can stand down, this WAS the Main Event of Wrestlemania!
Brawl Time
Brawl Time: There IS Crying in Wrestling: Brawling and Bawling
I had cried only 3 times in 25 years of watching wrestling. First was when I was 8 years old and Ultimate Warrior pinned Hulk Hogan at WM 6 crushing my Hulkamania spirit. The next time didn't come till Wrestlemania 20 when my all time favorite wrestler Chris Benoit (Yeah, sucked to be me in 07) won the World Title. The third and final time was the Eddie Guerrero Raw tribute. So imagine my shock when I found myself crying 3 times in 3 days this weekend. Saturday night, Ric Flair took the stage for his HOF speech. He was bright red and crying. As he discussed his ex wives, his children, and his legacy, I found myself shedding tear after tear. Then came Sunday night. Shawn Michaels tuned up the legendary band and then hesitated. Flair begged him on and Shawn looking as miserable as any man could mouthed "I'm sorry, I love you." The kick connected and Ric Flair was crying as he hit the mat; the realization of 36 years of the greatest career of all time ending. As Charles Robinson counted 3, Shawn hugged Flair and walked off leaving a sobbing Naitch to say goodbye. Again, a 25-year-old schoolteacher was using kleenex.
So when I turned on Raw to watch Flair's parting speech I thought I would enjoy it. Spoilers of the Horsemen returning...it would be a blast. But those last 20 minutes of Raw were some of the most emotional minutes I ever had watching wrestling. Reliving my past, my youth, and the greatest wrestler of all time's career. I watched my childhood idols, Ricky Steamboat, Greg Valentine and Harley Race walk out after the 4 Horsemen. As Flair embraced a ring filled with legends, the entire roster joined him at ringside. I sat quietly watching in awe, tears streaming down my face. This is the stuff legends are made of I thought. This was one of the greatest moments in professional wrestling history. Surreal just doesn't cut it.
There are people who mock pro wrestling as fake and choreographed, acting and entertainment. But those people cry at sporting events when their teams win or lose. They cry at concerts when their favorite band finishes a classic set. They cry on their couches watching episodes of reality TV. So I say, it is OK to cry watching wrestling. Because to deny the emotion we fans get from our favorite superstars, matches and personalities would be to deny our faintest interest in pro wrestling. I know now, after this 3-day period where we say goodbye to the greatest of all time, that I can never stop being a wrestling fan. No matter how many of my idols disappoint me. Congratulations, and farewell Ric Flair.
Next week we will begin to Re-Write the book. Send me any angles, feuds and or matches that you were unhappy with and let the hindsight booking begin. The intro will be Wrestlemania 8's potential for the mega- Flair/Hogan match that didn't happen till WCW. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do
agree wit most of this, except how can you say he "carried" taker to a great match? Taker always shows up to mania and then some. he carried batista last year to a great match.
Posted By: guest (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 05:33 PM
BROOKLYN IN THA HOUSE!!!! And I wish I was you. Why? You're a Cena haalter, who teaches and has the ability to mock his fanbase ince you teach them.
Posted By: JJ (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 05:42 PM
look forward to reading your new columns, welcome to 411!
Posted By: ben (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 05:45 PM
I think you are WAY to generous with your star-ratings. (At least with the triple-threat and WHC match)
Just curious but have you seen any "great" RoH matches? (****3/4 worthy?)
McGuiness/Danielson from Driven was about that IMO and Edge/Taker couldn't touch it.
***3/4 due to the ridiculousness of the no-sell of the second spear, the stupidity of the gogopalata, the fact that a lot of the match was just finisher after finisher and the lack of suspense. (For me, at least)
Props to my fellow Canadian for his promo earlier in the evening, though.
Posted By: Dylan (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 05:48 PM
oh yeah youre really clever what happened to kane v undertaker when kane kicked out of 2 BLOODY TOMBSTONES!
Posted By: big red monster (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 06:13 PM
One of the major feuds I wanted to see and thought was handled horrifically was John Cena vs. Randy Orton. Now, most people will think "Oh, but it was good". Well it was, kind of, but it could have been so much better. They should have been portrayed as the Yin to the others Yang, so to speak. They've been laying out that kind of thing for years. Smackdown vs. Raw? Anyone remember the entrance video where John Cena and Randy Orton face off under the title of the future of the industry? Or how about the time they delivered their respective finishers to their own general managers (Cena to Long and Orton to Bischoff) in the exact same week? The feud could have been so much more. Randy Orton would go into it with the perfect chances: the look, the (kind of) charisma, athleticism, and genetics. John Cena could reply with being from the street, back when he had the white rapper gimmick, and having to work for everything he has ever had. Randy was this sadistic bastard who destroyed legends, basically ignoring the legacies that had to be there for him to rise to the top. Cena was respectful to his peers. They both become successful. Tease some for a few months and then let them get in each others way to the WWE Championship. Cena comes at him and takes Orton down (which should have been a decisive victory), and Orton retaliates by nailing his dad. Cena gets upset, the WWE Title is defended in a four-way and switches feuds into theirs. Now we have the similar background but different alignment + the WWE Title + personal vendettas. Throw in some promos about destiny, Cena being in the way, play the arrogance and mention how this is like Hogan vs. Flair from Orton. Cena plays to the crowd and tries to be the honorable man. They have two normal PPV bouts. Before the third one, they get pitted together against a dominant opposing team (kind of like the Orton/Cena vs. Roster but without the burial). Cena discovers that they work well as a team, Orton promo suggests they are actually the same, Cena counters with... I dont know, something. They lead up to a massive gimmick match at a major ppv and viola! You have an instant classic match-up that WWE never did.
Posted By: Evan (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 06:46 PM
Great job Dan...great topic for the first column. Nothing wrong with feeling the emotion from the past weekend, because these are some of the moments that make up wrestling history. I cried as well on Monday night.
Posted By: Ari Berenstein (Registered) on April 02, 2008 at 06:51 PM
Kane kicked out of the Tombstone twice at Wrestlemania.
Posted By: Guest#2829 (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 06:56 PM
Dude,
The fact that u cried 3 times over the weekend says to me that u take this silly pseudo-sport WAY to seriously. It reminds me of the line "There's no crying in baseball". Besides that, not a bad little read, look forward to seeing more of ya
Posted By: OB1 Jabroni (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 08:00 PM
Agreed. It is definitly okay for wrestling fans to cry. It is okay for wrestling fans to cry over the Chris Benoit tragedy, the death of Eddie Guerrero, the "Goodbye" to Ric Flair, and more. I am a HUGE wrestling fan and I cannot tell you how many times I've cried because of certain cases in the world of wrestling. It's sometimes hard to be a wrestling fan. Your heroes die so young. Your idols retire. It really sucks to say goodbye. I did cry during the Hall Of Fame, as well as during the WM24 match, and the Ric Flair Ceremony on RAW. There will NEVER be another Ric Flair. Ever.
Posted By: Laura (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 08:01 PM
Its perfectly acceptable to cry during an emotional wrestling moment. These guys dedicate their lives to allowing us to feel like we are a part of them. And therefore, we feel that when THEY win a championship, we were right there behind them. When they leave us, they leave a part of themselves. No other sport or sports entertainment company can say the same thing at the same level.
Also, why the hate on Cena? You seem like a smart guy, and only stupid people hate on him now. Its not 2006, he's not a bad wrestler. Go Orton, though!
Posted By: Brendan (Guest) on April 02, 2008 at 09:04 PM
You say you only cried 3 times before... Well I have another... RAW IS OWEN... Saddest night of television ever. Mark Henry's Poem... HHH's sobs... Shane McMahon's tribute... not to mention Jarrett and Debra.
Posted By: ozstar13 (Guest) on April 03, 2008 at 05:43 AM
It might have been a great match, but I for one am waiting for Taker to retire already. The streak has gone on long enough, there is no suspense any longer. Next year I look forward to a Taker retirement angle win or lose. I dont even think I'll shed a tear watching that ceremony.
Fantastic column, re-book yourself some Benoit beating Sid and STAYING in WCW.
Posted By: LSuede (Guest) on April 03, 2008 at 06:27 AM
