WWF/WWE/ECW/WCW

tohostudios wrote:

I turned it off before "The Shining Stars"; I couldn't take it anymore. Either that or that was in the first hour when I was watching Gotham.  EIther way, I'm glad I missed it.

Primo and Epico basically squashed some local jobbers. Their new gimmick is of some flower sniffing Puerto Ricans. Almost no crowd reaction, practically heard crickets chirping.

I don't understand why Vince keeps trying to push those two guys.  They've had at least 2 or 3 different gimmicks and the closest they ever got to being over was when they had a "little person" as a mascot.  With so much new talent on the roster from NXT why waste TV time on these two losers?

tohostudios wrote:

I don't understand why Vince keeps trying to push those two guys.  They've had at least 2 or 3 different gimmicks and the closest they ever got to being over was when they had a "little person" as a mascot.  With so much new talent on the roster from NXT why waste TV time on these two losers?

Pretty much verbatim of what Josh Isenberg from Wrestlezone said in his weekly RAW review.

http://www2.tsn.ca/bardown/Story.aspx?Phil+Kessel+putting+on+Pens+jersey+for+the+first+time+to+the+tune+of+HBK%27s+theme+music+is+perfect&id=580456

I was wondering about this when I heard ESPN refer to the Pens having and HBK line.  My first thought was "Surely Shawn Michaels copyrighted that."

Cody Rhodes quits WWE: http://www.prowrestlingscoops.com/wwe/wwe-news/breaking-news-cody-rhodes-quits-wwe/

akeldama wrote:

Cody Rhodes quits WWE: http://www.prowrestlingscoops.com/wwe/wwe-news/breaking-news-cody-rhodes-quits-wwe/

That doesn't surprise me.  WWE hasn't known what to do with his character for years.

tohostudios wrote:

akeldama wrote:

Cody Rhodes quits WWE: http://www.prowrestlingscoops.com/wwe/wwe-news/breaking-news-cody-rhodes-quits-wwe/

That doesn't surprise me.  WWE hasn't known what to do with his character for years.

Agreed but I did like the Stardust character when it first appeared and then they just made him a jobber. Now if only TNA had their act together they could muster up a pretty good roster from some of the recently departed WWE wrestlers.

Yeah, the Stardust character actually had some potential but then WWE dropped the ball on it as usual. 

And I agree with you about TNA.  It's too bad they're about to fold because they could pick off some good wrestlers WWE has recently let go (Sandow and Rhodes come to mind immediately).

Adam Rose released... At his request. So Cody and Adam are gone, as is Ryback who is hinting at "Impact Zone". I think I would not want to go there right now if it were me.

Would be interesting if TNA picks up these guys but I would hate for them to be picked up as a "faction". Those never work, been there done that and set up to fail.

Seth Rollins is back wonder if hes gonna beat Roman to a pulp for that shiney belt

The Fatal Four Way match was the show stealer last night, marred only by a Miz victory. Biggest surprise came in the Asylum match. I was sure they wouldn't use the barbed wire bat but it was used. Not to mention a bed of thumbtacks. Extreme Rules actually had some blood!

Gotta say that the whole Charolette thing was poetic justice on Flair

DallasBlack wrote:

The Fatal Four Way match was the show stealer last night, marred only by a Miz victory. Biggest surprise came in the Asylum match. I was sure they wouldn't use the barbed wire bat but it was used. Not to mention a bed of thumbtacks. Extreme Rules actually had some blood!

Of course Miz won, he's the heel. He's been a very effective heel in his latest role. Yes, I hate the guy, but he won in a heelish manner (he took someone else's pin), which is standard booking. You didn't really think he was going to lose the title, right? I still think he'd be a phenomenal heel manager.

Addy wrote:

Gotta say that the whole Charolette thing was poetic justice on Flair

Yeah I quite liked that whole segment. A) Charlotte finally has to win on her own merits B) At his age Flair just isn't very believable as a threat to anyone, even women C) it was a nice payoff for all the cheating Flair has done on her behalf for the last several months. Now he can be a face again and hopefully interject himself on behalf of whomever Charlotte is facing.

It would be typical booking of Flair. How many freakin' times did he flip-flop between face and heel in any and every organization he was ever with? So now he could be face-Flair. Or he could just simply fade away and only come out for "special events" which is what I think he should actually do.

A buddy of mine started a write up of some wrastlers on FB:

Quote :

THE 30 GREATEST WRESTLERS OF THE MODERN ERA (1970 - present)

#30. Abdullah the Butcher

As manager Gary Hart once said of the Madman from the Sudan, “He’s six-feet tall, four hundred pounds, and has a few screws loose.” For fifty years (you read that correctly), Abdullah the Butcher was the most unique, dreaded, controversial, hated, and savage competitor in the wrestling business whose reign of terror spanned not only half a century but more than half the world. Legendary tales of the Butcher’s in-ring mayhem are still told across Japan, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US. Perhaps no heel in the history of the squared circle has drawn more money or shed more blood (his and his opponents') than Big Abby. Abdullah the Butcher was “hardcore” before anyone even knew that was a thing.

Possessing a blob-like physique marked with various scars and burns from years of violent competition, and a face that even a mother would take a flyer on, Abdullah was a natural-born heel; a sadistic lunatic with no regard for the Marquis of Queensberry rules and even less regard for the well-being of his opponents. He was the perfect counterpart to any territory’s babyface: a maniacal, foreign abomination who cared less about pinning his opponent than carving him up with his trademark sharpened fork (always conveniently tucked away in the considerable waistband of his expansive tights). And for the babyface’s of the time, surviving a match with Abdullah was a rite of passage – holding your own against the Butcher gave you instant street cred.

Fans of the Butcher remember his spectacular feuds with Carlos Colon, The Original Sheik, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and – most famously – Bruiser Brody, trademarked by matches that often spilled out of the ring and into the crowd with whole arenas being torn asunder and bathed in blood. His feud with Brody may, in fact, be the greatest in history; a campaign of violence that lasted more than a decade (shortened only by the death of Brody) and filling arenas in a half-dozen countries.

In a suitably bizarre final chapter to a remarkable career, one of Abdullah’s final opponents was Islamic author and part-time wrestler Michael Muhammad Knight, whom the Butcher pummeled into a bloody mess at the Decatur Book Festival in 2009. Knight had to be taken away in an ambulance and stitched back together. To this day, the incident remains the only time on record that a book signing turned into a wrestling match.

Quote :

THE 30 GREATEST WRESTLERS OF THE MODERN ERA (1970-present)

29. Dory Funk, Jr.

Infamous wrestling manager Jim Cornette once commented that Dory Funk, Jr. was such a great draw because when you came to the arena and saw him in person, the Indiana native didn’t look like much, and certainly wouldn’t stand a chance against the young, dynamic babyface he was locking up with that night. And sure enough, the eldest Funk brother, and son of a former wrestling great, wasn’t how you’d draw up a world champion: balding, with a terrible comb-over, soft, gangly physique, molasses-slow gait, and the weary, hang-dog face of a much older man. He looked more like a dock worker than a professional athlete. But just the like cocky teenager who makes the mistake of thinking he can take his ol’ dad in a fight, it took four years before any upstart contender finally bested the legendary NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Night after night, Dory Funk, Jr. took his opponents to school, methodically wearing them down with suplexes, submission holds, and his trademark, teeth-rattling forearm uppercuts, sometimes drawing the beating out for over an hour. Funk was surgical in the ring, as technically sound as anyone in the business, with the grace of a ballet dancer, and rugged as a pack mule. In the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, Funk had memorable feuds for the NWA strap with such all-time greats as Gene Kiniski, Harley Race, and Jack Brisco. He would also form one of the business’ most feared tag teams with brother, Terry. By the end of his career in the late ‘80’s, the man who looked like the most beatable champion to ever lace up a pair of boots had piled up over thirty championship reigns around the world and one of the greatest legacies in wrestling history.

After retiring from the ring, Dory opened the Funking Conservatory Professional Wrestling School in Ocala, Florida, where at 75 he still plays an active role in coaching up future superstars. Among those who graduated with diplomas in the “Dory Funk Method of Professional Wrestling” are Kurt Angle, Christian, the Hardy Boys, and fellow WWE Hall-of-Famers, Edge, Lita, and Ted DiBiase.

More guys looked the part of champion than Dory Funk, Jr., but no one played it any better in the ring. Want to judge this book by its cover? Hell, first you better figure out if you even belong in the same library.

Witchfinder wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

The Fatal Four Way match was the show stealer last night, marred only by a Miz victory. Biggest surprise came in the Asylum match. I was sure they wouldn't use the barbed wire bat but it was used. Not to mention a bed of thumbtacks. Extreme Rules actually had some blood!

Of course Miz won, he's the heel.  He's been a very effective heel in his latest role.  Yes, I hate the guy, but he won in a heelish manner (he took someone else's pin), which is standard booking.  You didn't really think he was going to lose the title, right?  I still think he'd be a phenomenal heel manager.  

Oh, I knew he was going to win, I just held on to a sliver of hope it would be won by someone else. I just have never liked the Miz. It has nothing to do with him being a heel as there are several heels I enjoy watching. I just find the Miz boring and way overrated.

tohostudios wrote:

Addy wrote:

Gotta say that the whole Charolette thing was poetic justice on Flair

Yeah I quite liked that whole segment.  A) Charlotte finally has to win on her own merits B) At his age Flair just isn't very believable as a threat to anyone, even women C) it was a nice payoff for all the cheating Flair has done on her behalf for the last several months.   Now he can be a face again and hopefully interject himself on behalf of whomever Charlotte is facing.  

It would be typical booking of Flair.  How many freakin' times did he flip-flop between face and heel in any and every organization he was ever with?  So now he could be face-Flair.  Or he could just simply fade away and only come out for "special events" which is what I think he should actually do.

I comepletely agree. Flair's time has come and gone time to let the new generation take the torch. Very hard for me to accept because my top 2 is HHH and Sting and with Sting retired and HHH mostly off screen to do exec work Ive found it hard to get into a current relevant star. So far Seth Rollins is looking promising for me

I found it funny on Raw how Seth Rollins went after the fans big time, getting them to stop cheering and start booing. Yet, Roman's boos were noticeably louder. At this point I don't think there is anything that will cause them to cheer him unless he goes full on heel... and that may not even be enough.

In other news, the match between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens was a match of the year contender IMO. Usually, I have Raw playing on in the background only looking up at the screen from time to time. In that match, my eyes were glued to the screen. Both guys were phenomenal, pun intended.

DallasBlack wrote:

I found it funny on Raw how Seth Rollins went after the fans big time, getting them to stop cheering and start booing. Yet, Roman's boos were noticeably louder. At this point I don't think there is anything that will cause them to cheer him unless he goes full on heel... and that may not even be enough.

In other news, the match between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens was a match of the year contender IMO. Usually, I have Raw playing on in the background only looking up at the screen from time to time. In that match, my eyes were glued to the screen. Both guys were phenomenal, pun intended.

Yeah, he was trying to cut a heel promo but seemed to get over. People are gonna cheer him over Reigns. I think the point was, in Vince's mind anyway, was to bring him out, turn on the fans, get some boos then the crowd will cheer for Roman. Not gonna happen. To me he has Honky heat. When Honky debuted in the 80's as a face I hated him. They had enough sense then to conduct a "poll" to see if the fans liked him. They didn't and as a result we ended up with one of the best heels ever. I always hated Honky until recently when I realized what a good heel he actually was. He knew how to get someone over and how to draw heat.

And here is someone I dislike as much as I disliked Honky in the 80's:

The brand spit is back:

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/712075-breaking-news-wwe-brand-split-returning-smackdown-going-live-in-july-vince-mcmahon-comments-and-more

Yeah I saw that. That will be a real split for about 6 months I'd bet. Then when Smackdown's ratings start tanking Raw guys will show up on it and gradually the split will fade away. They've tried this at least twice already and they always end up throwing it away in short order.

From what I understand there will be a new Heavyweight Championship for Smackdown with US Title going to one show and Intercontinental Title to the other. I hope they bring back the Big Gold Belt! Lots of history with that title but since Vince didn't invent it we will probably see a new belt.

During the last split of shows I felt Smackdown was the B Team and I never, ever watched. More than likely I won't watch this brand split either past the first few shows unless someone like Joe, Roode or Aries gets called up from NXT to fill spots. Word is a lot of people will be coming from NXT to the main rosters.

They just need one champion who goes to both shows to defend it imo.