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RF Video Shoot Interview with Mean Gene Okerlund

This was filmed in either 2006 or 2007

The interview was conducted by Doug Gentry and Rob Feinstein

It runs for two hours and twenty-two minutes long


Gene is asked if he was a wrestling fan growing up. He said that he followed the AWA by watching on Saturday nights as a kid and through college but would not classify himself as a hardcore fan. Gene went to Nebraska University and attended school at the same time as Baron Von Raschke.


Before wrestling, Gene worked in radio. After graduating college, he worked at a radio station in Omaha then moved to Minnesota. He said that he spent a week as a programming director but wanted to be on-air.


On how he wound up in wrestling, Gene said he was a salesman for a TV station and on a Saturday night, was asked to fill in for Marty O’Neill, who was also the voice of the AWA, who was out sick. At that time, Verne Gagne offered him a deal under the table and told Gene just to call what he saw, as Gene did not know the names of the wrestling holds. He says that was the best advice he had ever received in broadcasting and compares that to the cross promotion and selling of other products that the announcers of today use.


Rob asks Gene if he other wrestlers kayfabed him when he started. Gene said that they did but it never bothered him, mentioning how Verne was big on maintaining kayfabe. When asked if he was ribbed by the wrestlers, Gene said that there was not a lot of ribbing back then and said the announcers were all hands off in the AWA, meaning talent was not allowed to touch him on air. Gene says that makes the announcer seem less effective when he is allowed to be touched.


When asked if he was given bulletpoints to use, he said that he did for the moves but also made up stuff as he went along. Gene tells a story of how he made up the “Beal Throw” named after the fictional Benny Beal and Verne told him not to do that again.


He is asked about his memories of Hulk Hogan. Gene said how he was originally going to be a heel to play off of the success of his “Thunderlips” character, managed by Johnny Valiant but after a few weeks, they decided that he would work a lot better as a face. He said that Hogan was not the best technical wrestler, saying that was Dean Malenko, but that he could put asses in seats, unlike Dean Malenko.


Gene is now asked if anyone would not consider him as one of the boys, just as an announcer. He said that Sir Oliver Humperdink tried that at a show in Florida, by speaking in “carny” but Gene called him out, stating he could speak carny too.


In mid 1983, he met with Vince McMahon and after that, decided to make the jump to the WWF. Gene said that money was the reason he left. He said at that time, Vince talked about going national, but never mentioned anything about going global.


When asked about Jesse Ventura, Gene said that Jesse indeed came up with the “Mean Gene” nickname (Jesse said this in his RF Video shoot). Gene said he was not in love with the nickname but notes how it got over. He then tells a story of how the name was created. In his interviews, Jesse always talked about hanging out and partying with rock stars. One day, he said that he was partying with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and when Jesse asked Gene if he knew who he was, Gene said of course he knew him and said he was a famous race car driver. Jesse then replied “that was mean, Gene.” He also said that with Jesse, who knew what you were getting and never kayfabed anything.


Gene is asked about several guys he worked with. He said that Dick the Bruiser was a great business man and a smart guy. He never worked with Ken Patera in the AWA and first saw Patera when he was bouncer at a bar with Ric Flair. He said his first memories of Flair was when he was a student of Verne and how the arrangement at that time was that Verne would take 10% of your payoffs for the rest of your career but that Flair never gave him and he quickly moved to the Carolinas. He said that he would have never been able to develop his persona if he stayed in the AWA. Gene really likes Nick Bockwinkle and said he was a great technical wrestler. He talks about how he did not get a chance to work with Harley Race until he was in the WWF. Gene loved Ray Stevens and said he was great on the mic but a terrible golfer. He said that Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens was one of the greatest teams of all time. He was close with Larry Hennig and said they would go to the same gin-mill every week. A short guy came up and kept bothering Hennig, who warned him, and the guy came back then Hennig stomped his foot on the arch of the guys foot, who immediately dropped down.


He is now asked about announcing and said that Gordon Solie was the best at having fun with the product and selling the angles in a serious manner.


When asked who had the best in-ring psychology in the ring, Gene lists a few guys. He said that Mad Dog Vachon had a great feel for what to do in the ring to get the crowd going.


Gene is asked about Bruiser Brody. He said that Brody had a reputation of being a loner and a troublemaker but would just stop by quickly in the AWA for a few months. Gene said he was talented and had a love/hate relationship with Verne. He feels sad regarding his death.


He is now asked about Bobby Heenan and said in his 35 years of wrestling, he probably worked 31 of them with Heenan. Gene said the first suggestion he made to Eric Bischoff was to hire Heenan. Gene said that Heenan wanted to be a commentator because he did not want to be on the road and talks about how his throat cancer has taken his livelihood away. Gene receives a call from Kevin Dunn and says he will call him back after he finishes his interview with some people from Philadelphia. He talks about Bobby being the best color commentator.


Gene said that Verne took it hard when Hulk Hogan left the AWA, saying he felt betrayed. Gene said that Hogan sent Verne a telegram from Western Union that he was leaving to go to the WWF. At that point, he was in conversation with Patterson and Vince to join the company. However, Gene had his business at the time and could only work one day a week but Vince ended up cutting a deal with him of working three days every three weeks and Gene said he could triple his salary that way. When asked if he heard about the rumor of Verne offering the Iron Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan’s legs, Gene said he did not but if Verne was to offer him something, it would have probably been $10,000. Gene started with the WWF in December of 1983 during the “Wrestling at the Chase” shows.


When Gene left the AWA, he said that Verne told him he could not leave then Greg Gagne came in and asked Gene how he could leave after they had taken care of him for thirteen years. Gene replied that the WWF made him a better offer and that they never gave him a counteroffer so Greg told Gene to go take the WWF’s if it was so damn good, thinking Gene might back off, but Gene was gone. He then said that he was one of the first to leave and did not know if the rest of the locker room all wanted to jump ship or not. 


On the subject of Verne not changing his ways, Gene said that refused to and called him an “isolationist” who would stick to his cities and towns and not changing the way he did things. 


He got along with Vince and had a lot of fun with him. Gene said that Vince was not as guarded as he is today, due to how many times he has gotten burned. Gene said that the six months leading up to WrestleMania was grueling. Gene thought that if WrestleMania bombed, it would have killed the company.


Gene now tells a story about Vince McMahon offering Verne Gagne a deal. It was in early 1984 and Vince was sitting in Gene’s office in downtown Minneapolis. Vince offered Verne a $10 million buyout and that Verne and Greg would get $100,000 a year for five years. Vince told Verne that he could give them national TV exposure with the deal but Verne exploded at him and said that if his father would be irate if he knew what he was doing.


He talks about the difference between the AWA and WWF in terms of production. He said the WWF was much more organized and calculated compared to the AWA, which was disorganized and things were written down last minute.


Gene talks about how he replaced Pat Patterson as a color commentator, a role that Okerlund said he was not cut out for at all (he is right about that, Gene was awful in that role). Gene takes a sip out of a Poland Springs, joking that it is imported from Russia.


When asked about being the host of “Tuesday Night Titans,” Gene said that they were told not to rehearse anything on TNT. He puts over Don Muraco and Mr. Fuji for cracking him up during their skits. He also said that the Russian Bear that was on for a segment with Nikolai Volkoff took a shit on the stage that stunk up the whole building. Gene also tells a story about the Iron Sheik and how he had a segment with the camel and asked Gene about its name, so he told the Sheik that it was “Clyde” but called it “Claude” when he got on air.


On whether or not Hogan changed with success, Gene said he did but at the same time, he had to put his guard up due to all of his fame. He then adds that all sorts of people came up to him trying to make side deals.


Gene did say that it was Hogan’s idea to put him in a match against George Steele & Mr. Fuji. Gene then talks about the training videos and how the guys would bust his balls by making him do multiple takes of the runs. For the match, Gene high-fived Hogan after he cleaned house then the ref told him to go into the ring. Gene said that originally, Hogan told him he was not going to wrestle at all and just stand on the apron.


Gene tells a story about Fuji. He said that when he was managing Killer Khan, Fuji did not like him. Khan did a gimmick in which he spit liquid, which was actually mouthwash. They were taping a bunch of interviews and in between takes, Khan would put some mouthwash in his mouth and during the actual interviews, Fuji would whack Khan in the legs with his cane and shove Copenhagen into his mouth, trying to prove how nothing could stop him as Khan had to try as hard as possible to prevent the mouthwash from leaving his mouth .Gene said that one time in Washington, Fuji hit him so hard that Khan ended up swallowing the Copenhagen and the mouthwash.


When asked if the rivalry between Hogan and Ventura was real, Gene said it was and probably still is today. Gene said Jesse was on top of the AWA then Hogan came in and took that spot, which Jesse did not like. When asked about Hogan and Roddy Piper, Gene said you could really feel the tension between those two in the locker room as Hogan would not give Piper the time of day.


He is asked if Jimmy Snuka was not in the main event due to the death of Nancy Argentino. Gene did not think it was due to that because he did have a spot in the main event at one point but he was using a lot of drugs and was unreliable as a result.


Gene said that Mr. T was very difficult to get along with but adds that Liberace was a pro. Gene tells a story about how Mr. T missed a press conference in New York because he wanted to clear his head and went off in his limo for a few hours.


Now, Gene is asked how he got to sing the National Anthem at WrestleMania because the person who was supposed to sing the song never showed up, with Gene joking that they might have been partying with Snuka all night. He said that when the performer never showed up, Gene went to Vince and said that they could not start the show without the National Anthem and volunteered to sing. Gene said it was not his best performance.


They ask Gene about his infamous interview with Rick Rude from SummerSlam in which he swore. Gene said he did not get heat for that as the interview was pre-taped and they used the wrong tape for the show and in the Gorilla position, Vince was yelling through the mic to Jesse so he could cover for Gene but he buried him instead.


His favorite guys to interview during the 80’s WWF . Gene said that Tony Atlas was tough to work with and had his issues with drugs but has cleaned up his life today and is friendly with him. He asks the guys to guess who was the most difficult and they both correctly guessed the Ultimate Warrior. Gene said that he could talk with the Warrior on the phone and still probably have no clue where he was going with the conversation.


Gene is then asked about the confrontation between the Rougeau Brothers and the British Bulldogs. He said that the whole thing was juvenile and that the Rogeau’s beat the crap out of the Bulldogs.


When asked, Gene said that he saw people crack due to the brutal road scheduled. Gene said he almost cracked himself then joked how he went to the psychiatrist instead to work out his issues. He tells a story while in San Diego, he filmed 141 interviews that were about three minutes long apiece.


Talking about the David Schultz/John Stossel incident, Gene said he had no idea if Vince put Schultz up to it but Vince loved pressed and just wanted to make sure that the names were spelled right and that the WWF was mentioned. He said that he was about ten feet away from the incident when it happened.


Gene said that Haku was the toughest guy in the locker room and no one would mess with him. Gene also said that some of the big starts were “pussycats” in reality.


He said that he loved working with Howard Finkel on promos, even if he could drive you nuts. Gene also liked Rene Goulet, saying that his English was terrible even after 25 years in the United States but did enjoy his company.


In talking about the Nailz/Vince McMahon incident, Gene said that he heard a lot of screaming and shouting from Nailz, who was pissed that the Big Boss Man had a check for $25,000 while Nailz had one for $8,000. He said that Jim Duggan went in to break up the fight and talks about how Nailz is now a bounty hunter.


When asked if Savage was paranoid regarding Elizabeth, Gene said that he was and said when Savage went off to the gym before the TV tapings, he would lock Elizabeth in the room and take the key with him. He tells a story that took place at the Halloween Edition of “Saturday Night’s Main Event” from 1985 when Elizabeth had to pass the apple around to both him and Roddy Piper and he heard Savage grunting in the background.


Gene liked Andre the Giant and said they shared the same hobbies: good food, wine, and playing cards. Gene said that Andre was a sensitive guy and once sat him down on a flight and told him that people thought he had a great life but would have kids and others point and laugh at him because of his size.


He is asked about the Ultimate Warrior holding up Vince for money at SummerSlam, Gene said he was there and that the Warrior was wrong for threatening to not work a show the day of the event to get more money and said there is no room in any business for someone who acts like that and that Warrior could not be trusted.


Gene is asked if there was someone who made it as a star that he never though would. He said he thought smaller guys had less of a chance to make it big and said that Bret Hart was not good on the microphone and nervous in the ring when he started. He talks about Shawn Michaels and how he really likes him and said that they tried to get him to go to WCW but Gene said he was loyal to Vince.


He talks about Kerry Von Erich and tells a story at a promotional event that took place at a restaurant in New York City as Kerry is whacked out of his mind and tried to stick the fork in his mouth but it fell all over him and he had food all over his sleeves too.


Gene said that drugs were prevalent in wrestling in the 70’s and 80’s. Gene said that he would partake in stuff outside of alcohol but knew his limits. He then said a lot of things that happened shouldn’t have due to drug use.


On how he wound up in WCW, Gene said that his contract with the WWF was up and they did not offer him a renewal. He said that change was good for everyone and still left on good terms with Vince, saying he gave him a hug and that they had a hell of a run.


Initially, he liked Eric Bischoff and thought he seemed refreshing. He also did not know if he had a handle on what was going on with the company.


Gene said that the difference between the WCW and WWF was the production values, noting how WCW had lousy values and was disorganized. He did say that they improved a lot when Nitro started.


On the subject of the “Scheme Gene” character, Gene said he was not offended by it and added how could anyone be offended by something like that.


He talks about the hotline and how it was making $350,000 a year in revenue.


When asked about Nitro and if the concept would work, Gene talks about how he never understood why they wanted to go head-to-head with the WWE and thought that they should have ran on a different night so the wrestling fans could enjoy both products. Gene then said that Ted Turner was the one who wanted to be on Monday nights instead of Wednesday.


Gene said that everyone was in Bischoff’s ear and that he should have had a guy like Kevin Dunn to sit down with to go over things. Gene then adds how ridiculous it was to give the wrestlers creative control clauses in their contracts and after a while, it got to be too much.


He is then asked how he had such good chemistry with Ric Flair in WCW as Gene replied back that they had good chemistry in the bar too. Gene said he thinks the world of Flair.


When asked if he thought Hogan was good or bad for WCW at the end of the company's run, he said it was a good thing and without him, WCW would not have beaten WWF in the ratings. He was then asked if Hogan watched his back in WCW and Gene said no, adding that Hogan looked out for himself, but did say that when he asked Hulk to induct him into the Hall of Fame, he said yes. Gene puts over for re-inventing himself with his reality show.


They ask Gene about the nWo and he puts over how great it was that the fans were confused as whether or not Hall & Nash were in the WCW or the WWF.


Gene talks about how towards the end of WCW, they never knew what they were going to do until 10-20 minutes before they went to air. He then said that when Russo came in, he was not the solution but rather made the problem worse. He did say that the boys knew how to push him around.


He is asked about Pamela Paulshock and jokes that she was nice and well endowed but a huge airhead.


When asked if Eric Bischoff changed over time, Gene believes that Bischoff thought he was a genius due to the success and as a result, became very power hungry. He did say that he thought Bischoff did a great job as the RAW GM when he came to the WWE.


He talks about the creative control clauses in WCW and how guys like Goldberg, who had been in the business for just a few years, had that clause in his contract.


Rob brings up how Bobby Heenan brought up how Tony Schiavone was untrustworthy in his interview and asks Gene about his opinion of Tony. Gene says that Tony was the consumate politician and had a tendency to bury people along the way when he was protecting himself but did not have a lot of problems with him.


Gene said that Mike Tenay was knowledgeable but not a broadcaster. He said that his specialty was in Japanese and Mexican wrestling.


He is asked about Mark Madden and the match they had together. Gene said that was Russo's fault as that would never draw and the only thing that would have happened was that they would embarrass themselves. Gene said it was garbage.


When asked if they were only worried about getting a big buyrate or winning a quarter hour, Gene said that was exactly what they did and mentions how there was no long-term planning in the company. He then mentions Russo's shoot on Hogan at the Bash in the Beach and how it was all over after that.


Gene is asked about the sale of WCW. He said that the Time Warner and a lot of Turner's guys did not want wrestling but that Ted Turner was the one who stood up for WCW. He found out that it was sold when he was sitting at home, after being asked to not come to TV, after signing a long-term deal that was well over one million dollars. When asked if he got paid the entire amount, Gene said that he did.


He said that a lot of guys in the locker room resented DDP, thinking that he only got pushed because he was a friend of Bischoff's.


After WCW went out of business, Gene said he would call Kevin Dunn to see if he could do any special features for the WWE. Dunn said that he would work on it and six months later, Dunn called him up and pitched the idea for "Confidential." He said that the show did not expose the business, because it was already exposed as much as any other business, and said that the pieces on Elizabeth's death and on Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were the best.


Gene said that Lex Luger felt bad after the Confidential piece and told Gene that he loved the girl but Gene said if he did love her, he would not have fed her booze and pills.


When Gene came back to the WWE, he said that Vince treated him wonderfully and that they talked about the future instead of the past. Gene said he is not big on nostalgia.


On the subject of Vince feeding lines to his announcers, Gene said that it is Vince's show and if he wants things said a certain way. He talks about how they might have destroyed the spontaneous stuff, like with Joey Styles, but he will not criticize Vince for that.


He thought that Jim Ross was alright but could become very political. He then said how the office pushed all of the Oklahoma stuff with him and that it was not Ross's idea.


Gene enjoyed calling the gimmick battle royal at WM 17 and jokes how you could have made a fortune as a Viagra salesman in that match. He said that they knew it would be fun and brought out a lot of old terms and descriptions of the wrestlers.


They ask Gene about how different the show production is today and Gene talks about how things today seemed forced but that it is working. He also talked about how they no longer do stand-up interviews and thinks that some of the unscripted stuff that makes it to air is the best part.


Now, Gene is asked about Stephanie and Shane McMahon. Gene said he is big on nepotism himself but also says that both have an understanding of the business. When asked about HHH, Gene said that he worked with him in WCW and said he was hard-working and a student of the game but was going nowhere in WCW. Gene said he was wasting away in the company.


Gene goes back to right before the first WrestleMania and said how Vince had him over his house in Greenwich, CT, along with Hogan, and they mapped out the shows that led to WrestleMania. Gene harped on the fact how modest the beginning of Vince's run was compared to today.


When asked about the deaths in wrestling, Gene said they were all tragic. He talks about Eddie Guerrero's death and how he knew him for a long time and was a nice man. Gene said that Curt Hennig's death was senseless and bashes Roddy Piper for saying that you need pills to get by because that is what killed them.


He is not surprised that Hogan and Flair are still working and on top today. He said that they can outwork some of the other guys that are much younger.


Gene is asked about Bret Hart returning to the WWE. Gene said that he was aloof when he was at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Gene puts over Stu Hart and said that when his son was in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Stu let Gene and his wife stay with them.


On Pat Patterson being great at coming up with finishes, Gene said he was an entertainer and could give people what they want to make them pop and come up with something to make the fan buy a ticket to the next event or to buy into the next PPV.


When asked about Bruno Sammartino's relationship with Vince McMahon, Gene said that Bruno blamed Vince for changing the business and making it all about physiques, which pressured wrestlers into taking steroids.


Gene said that it would be very tough for wrestling to go back to what it was in the past and adds that they should have smartened up the television industry instead of the fans.


They ask Gene if a television writer can make a good wrestling show. Gene said that agents that were former wrestlers should not be coming up with dialogue for the wrestlers but at the same time, the office should come up with dialogue after the office tells them about the direction of the product. Gene then talks about how he made a suggestion to Vince and Dunn about bringing up stand up interviews with the big stars.


He calls Gordon Solie the most talented announcer of all-time. He made the product credible and seem believable. Gene also puts over Vince for calling the action but says that Gorilla Monsoon was his personal favorite.


Gene is asked about the "Montreal Screwjob." He said that Bret should have been professional in that situation but now it is water under the bridge. Gene said that Bret needed to have done business in that situation.


On asked who belongs in the Hall of Fame, he wants to see the Crusher and the Bruiser. Also, Flair, Rhodes, The Funk's and Steamboat.


When asked who will be the next big thing in the business, Gene said there is someone now without a character or persona that is a great athlete and has the necessary charisma and they are out there somewhere. He goes back to Steve Austin and said that he made it huge because he became himself with the Stone Cold character. Gene said that Paul Orndorff told him that Austin was great and liked to hunt, fish, drink and have the occasional "goodie." Gene thought that Batista was on the cusp but had a setback due to injury. He said that Kurt Angle is very talented and that John Cena has been pushed too hard and is causing a backlash but he will be around for a while as he is a hard worker and very talented too.


Gene is asked if he goes on the wrestling internet sites and he said that he did when he had the hotline in WCW, joking how that was the source of his material. He said he lived in a vacuum but did talk with Mark Madden and Alex Marvez.


They ask Gene if Vince is unaware of what else is going on in wrestling. Gene said that people have been saying that about him for the past 20 years but he is aware of what is going on outside of the WWE and surrounds himself with a strong inner circle that helps him now what is happening.


He does agree that the cookie-cutter looks that a lot of new wrestlers today does hurt wrestling as they need to have distinctive looks and personalities.


When asked if he wants to write a book, Gene said that he has a manuscript of 1,200 pages but is going to what until he is completely out of the business and can write the final chapter before he releases the book. Gene said that he will end up stepping on a lot of people's toes when it is released.


Gene believes that if he was staring out in the business today, he would get hired by the WWE, even though the company wants the announcers to be less colorful.


On the subject of who he traveled with, Gene said that he mostly did it by himself but did travel a lot with Bobby Heenan. He tells a story that took place when they were in WCW. He said how Bobby loved to have a cocktail and he wanted to fly first class from Salt Lake City, UT to Oakland, CA. There has no first-class ticket that day so they had to fly to Salt Lake to Denver in order to catch a flight that had first class seats left for Oakland. Gene said that Heenan had all of the whiskey in the world and he was right there with him. On the second flight, Heenan struggled to get his luggage into the overhead and was drunk then one guy came up and asked him if he was alright and Heenan replied back "what the hell are you, a doctor?"


The interviews end with Gene saying that he has no regrets.


Final Thoughts: I thought this was a solid interview. Gene seems like a nice guy and his voice can draw you in, even if not everything he said was exciting. You could definitely tell that Gene was careful not to burn any bridges with the WWE though. He did have some funny stories and was not afraid to poke fun at himself, which is refreshing.


Personally, I think it is sad when you look at the announcers and interviewers today and how non-descriptive and bland they are. They do not have the distinctive voices the guys from the 80's and 90's had and to me, that hurts the product. You should want to have a voice associated with the show, someone who can get everything over.


Overall, this interview captured my attention but at the same time, there was no groundbreaking revelations when I finished. I recommend this if you are a fan of Okerlund and the 1980's WWF.



















































Comments

  1. Holy balls!

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  2. I could listen to Mean Gene read to the phone book.

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  3. What if they hotshotted the title to Brock at Money in the Bank and then brought in Tomohiro Ishii to challenge him at Summerslam? Can anyone help me out with this high-five?

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  4. I apologize if this has been discussed in the Legends' House threads, but what's the deal with Mean Gene's right (or left?) arm? It's about double the size of the other one. Including his hand. It's possibly related to the kidney issues he said he has, but I don't know if it's every been discussed elsewhere.

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  5. Between that NXT match against Sami Zayn and the WM spot where he slams Big Show out of the battle royale, I felt that Cesaro had the potential to be a sort of Bret Hart/Goldberg hybrid: a skilled technical wrestler that is powerful as all hell and doesn't speak much. I'd prefer that to him having Paul E. as the talking head. And my god, ENOUGH with putting over your client BBBBBRRROCCCCK LESSSSSNARRRR while coming to the ring with Cesaro. Could that make Cesaro look any more insignificant? There has to be better ways to remind the fans of Brock's existence and pending return than that

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  6. Bryan won his first title in a "fluky" way. So did WWE Hall of Famer Edge.

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  7. As silly as it sounds, I'd rather Lesnar running in and stealing the MITB briefcase. And for the next few weeks, everytime his music plays the champ wonders if this is the week.


    Nope, just Heyman coming out to remind said champ that his end is near.


    But one of these weeks... it's murderin' time.

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  8. Yeah, and they both paid for it with their necks.

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  9. For those who want a free Domino's medium pizza, go to mlb.com/dominos at 3 PM EST. You must sign up for an MLB.com account (free).

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  10. Mean Gene was the best wrestling interviewer of all-time. Guy was fantastic at keeping the talent on-point and feeding them the proper talking points to get the feuds over. I liked him far less in his WCW years, but from 84-90 he was vital to the WWF.

    Useless information for the day: Gene referring to the camel as "Clyde" is probably a reference to Ray Stevens' (the singer, not the wrestler) song "Ahab the Arab," a novelty hit from the early 60's that also includes a camel named Clyde.

    As usual, great write-up Bayless. Your content volume is second to none and I read every word of it.

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  11. If TNA loses their SpikeTV slot they'd likely cease to exist.

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  12. I wonder about that also. It was never really addressed.

    There were backstage reports that Cena was supposed to be strechered out but he did that promo instead and Brock was pissed. He seemed to get over it though.

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  13. TJ: Some positive WWE news that I'm sure they've welcomed

    "WWE's merchandise sales have been rising, with WWEShop.com's daily orders up from 867 a day to 1,200 a day. The reason for the increase is unknown, but it could be because of the fact that WWE website is up 74% over the past year (due to the launch of the WWE Network).

    John Cena is still the top seller at live events with Daniel Bryan at a close second. CM Punk merchandise is still doing very well online. Goldust and Wyatt Family sheep masks are also selling very well."

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  14. Brock does what Brock has to do to get paid, no more, no less. I'm sure it's in his contract how many of his appearances are matches and how many are just showing up on Raw while Heyman talks.

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  15. Thank you very much.

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  16. Uruguay's right down there next to Rand McNally, where hamburgers eat people.

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  17. He's not Bret Hart.

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  18. I'd love to meet the person who needs to own a sheep mask.

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  19. Between Bryan's injury and the booking last year they've gone without a champion for a while - and many times even when there is a champion they just keep rolling with the John Cena Show. So I think they could survive putting the title on Brock and him not being there every week - if anything it'd make the title feel more special.

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  20. Except Cena will still be that even if he loses, as Punk and Bryan showed. Both beat Cena, and neither came close to taking his spot.

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  21. Agreed 100%. They have to at least try something different. Even if it's a miserable failure, at least they're attempting to give people a true alternative to the WWE.

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  22. Deep Thoughts: If a house show takes place but no one is there to watch..does it truly exist?

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  23. As a kid, I loved Mean Gene in WWF. In WCW, I just couldn't stand him, as I found him totally unprofessional in a lot of his Nitro interviews where he would cut people off and talk over them and insult him. And he should have been sued for the crap he was putting on the hotline. He was literally making up stories about who was coming to WCW from WWF and it was disgusting. Sounds like a fun shoot though!

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  24. Exactly. Not everything has to be super-serious top of the card stuff. Some comedy on the undercard is a good thing.

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  25. "I know, I heard it too...here's some music."

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  26. I think I'd try and avoid those people.

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  27. It's different for a heel, or when used as catalyst for a heel turn (see also: Punk, CM). That can be effective. For Reigns as a face, it's the absolute wrong move.

    ReplyDelete
  28. EXPLOSION OF AWESOMENESS,Ishii is somehow a bad-ass-sympathetic-heel-underdog.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieJune 19, 2014 at 11:35 AM

    Anyone else watching Columbia-Ivory Coast? Great game so far

    ReplyDelete
  30. Damn, it was 0-0, now 2-1. Also, it's Colombia, the country, not the Ivy League university. (Just nitpicking. ;) )

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hey, they had 300 people at that show in Florida. That isn't no one. Granted, it might as well be for a company that has a weekly TV show, but...


    Wait, what was the question?

    ReplyDelete
  32. ahh now you have cleared your mind and are ready to expand.

    ReplyDelete
  33. yea it has exploded here and Ivory looks in good shape even though they are still down.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieJune 19, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    Right you are, the tv graphic says "COL" so I had to take a stab haha

    Never heard of Columbia university and not sure what Ivy League is either though

    ReplyDelete
  35. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    TJ: Potential top NBA pick Embiid injures foot. Could be broken.
    Mr. Glass v3.0

    ReplyDelete
  36. Yep. Another great game in a string of them so far. You Aussies were bang unlucky yesterday, btw.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Mean Gene was the greatest interviewer ever. He is sorely missed in today's product. Also, once again, Mr. Fuji sounds like the biggest piece of shit ever.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieJune 19, 2014 at 11:44 AM

    Screamed myself hoarse with a group of friends (keep in mind it was the midnight game for us hahah).

    Yeah, absolutely devestated we couldn't even walk away with the draw

    ReplyDelete
  39. I wouldn't touch this guy with a 10 foot pole.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Is he heel? It's hard to tell. Just watched his match against Ibushi and it was pretty fantastic. I haven't seen anything quite like Ishii since ROH era Samoa Joe.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 11:49 AM

    Which means the Cavs WILL pick him up.

    ReplyDelete
  42. It's the luck of the draw, unfortunately Australia got put in the hardest group instead of one of the weak ones like the one Argentina's in for example. Beating Spain is a real possibility for you guys now, though.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Who else was hearing Gene's voice in their head reading the text by about half-way through this recap?

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'd love to tell them that the exact same mask is available at Party Fair for like $2.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Fuji must have legitimately been tough, because otherwise, I don't know why someone didn't fuck him up for all of the horrible shit he did.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 11:57 AM

    I have no issue with this, but there needs to be a secondary title to go after because you have Joe, Storm, Gunner, Kennedy and a few others that could challenge for that title.
    I hate when wrestlers are wasted.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Not the perfect comparison, but what about Bret Hart. He won it on a house show in Canada.
    Orton won it as a heel in a weird situation where Cena had to forfeit and he did just fine.

    ReplyDelete
  48. And Colombia earns that win, so we move to Uruguay-England. An England loss pretty much eliminates them, so this should be interesting...

    ReplyDelete
  49. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 11:58 AM

    Try something different and stick with it long enough to SEE if it will fail. Which means you have to try it longer than 2 weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  50. If Fuji was a piece of shit, he wouldn't have lasted that long.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 12:00 PM

    Another thing: The PPV model does not work for them. Maybe they should do something on the Internet.

    At the very least have Xplosion shown on youtube or something.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Meanwhile, I think I'll watch some cricket. New Zealand vs West Indies, Day 4 of their Test.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I'm nervously excited, or excitedly nervous for that. England are better overall, but Uruguay have the two best players in Suarez and Cavani. I'd like to predict an England win, but we always find a way to screw things up somehow.

    ReplyDelete
  54. 'I hate when wrestlers are wasted.'


    Sting at Victory Road would agree with you there....

    ReplyDelete
  55. If you ask HHH, Bryan won his last title in a "fluky" way, too. /kayfabe

    ReplyDelete
  56. Years of holding up the microphone.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Punk didn't turn heel for a long time after MitBing Edge

    ReplyDelete
  58. He's from CHAOS,which is a heel stable,but now they in this tweener phase due the bullet club.If you see post match against Ibushi or Homna he gestures to them to get the F out heel style.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Yup, hard not to.

    ReplyDelete
  60. He also MITB'd Hardy, and turned heel then.

    ReplyDelete
  61. It's a good idea plus it makes them different from WWE where champs rarely if ever defend their belts on TV.

    ReplyDelete
  62. would his Hotline number be in that phone book?

    ReplyDelete
  63. True. Wasn't Punk in a tag team with Kofi about 3 months later?

    ReplyDelete
  64. I am pretty sure he only fucked with guys who were pissing off everyone else.

    ReplyDelete
  65. I have the answer to that question, but it's too hot to talk about on the Blog of Doom. Call the BoD Hotline now at 1-900-909-9900! Kids (and Dougie,) get your parents' permission before calling.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Orton's first win was a clean win over Benoit. The shenanigans with Cena came later.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Stranger in the AlpsJune 19, 2014 at 12:30 PM

    Wouldn't it help house show business today if they did local spots like they used to, with Josh Mathews or Renee Young interviewing Bad News Barrett about what he's going to do to RVD in Green Bay?

    ReplyDelete
  68. I'm with you, if there's ANYONE that can give a legitimate kayfabe reason for "I'm not showing up every week", it's Brock.


    Brock should be the guy that descends from the mountain only every so often when a new challenger emerges.

    ReplyDelete
  69. But that wouldn't entertain Vince and Friends...

    ReplyDelete
  70. TJ:The final match of this year's best of super juniors

    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ywoce_njpw-best-of-super-juniors-2014-finals-ricochet-vs-kushida_sport



    Ricochet vs KUSHIDA in ****1/2 match.

    ReplyDelete
  71. And then he basically lost the title in a backstage segment. They weren't quite riding the Punk train at that time.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Totally different times I guess. 99.9% of blowoffs happen on TV and PPVs now. Still remember in the 80's, when PPVs were used to build up house shows (aka, countless double countouts in Survivor Series matches)

    ReplyDelete
  73. Worked for Ludvig Borga. If you can't take a guy who's not from America, and then get him over as a heel in America (at least a little), you're doing it wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  74. I thought I was the only one...

    ReplyDelete
  75. The thing with TNA is they are an entity (I hesitate to call them a wrestling promotion in the traditional sense) that exists to generate product to air on SpikeTV. As a PPV product, or live event draw, they utterly fail. They literally have no fan base willing to spend money to support them. As such, to remain a viable SpikeTV product they are forced to spend a huge amount of money to maintain a level of visual quality consistent with the desired broadcast standards of SpikeTV. Should they fall below those standards, or their ratings fall below the point the network expects them to draw, then their TV contract will end and TNA will become a company with negligible revenue, yet daily expenses they can't cover. We're not talking about merely operating at a loss, we're talking hemorrhaging thousands of dollars a day. If you can't immediately replace that revenue stream you have to cease operations. We've already seen they can't draw a profitable house show... how could they continue to exist only with house shows, yet no TV show promoting it, and even less talent than they have now because they could no longer afford them? If/when SpikeTV drops them, TNA as we know it ceases to exists. Their only asset at that point is their tape library, and we know what'll happen to that.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Nearest I can figure, he was going through his divorce at that time, so he and Vince probably figured that some time off would be needed.

    That doesn't explain why he won the match and cut a promo afterwards, though, just why a leave might be necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Exactly - sure, Brock got basically the BIGGEST WIN EVER, but no point in wasting that the very next time he wrestles. Let him crush Cena, maybe an upper-carder like Sheamus, and THEN build towards a possible defeat at "WM31".

    ReplyDelete
  78. In some ways, I like the idea, as (IMO) Orton's very presence on TV is like watching paint dry. I'm all for him being played for a patsy.


    Then again, if Trips were to turn on Orton, then Orton would be positioned for a main-event face run.

    ReplyDelete
  79. They're heels and he's a babyface. They're not supposed to be trumpeting his return and singing his praises.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Stranger in the AlpsJune 19, 2014 at 12:40 PM

    Hell, these days they don't even advertise the card in advance. "Come see WWE, who cares who's wrestling."

    ReplyDelete
  81. Cesaro wasn't world champion material at WM30.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Disagree - yes, Miz was a hell of a chickenshit heel, and I was a huge fan of his at the time, but even the wimpiest heel shouldn't be struggling to beat the sixty-year old announcer. If anything, the sixty-year old announcer should be the only person that the wimpy heel CAN beat down easily.

    Let him struggle against everybody else, but not Lawler.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Because Vince had to prove that WWE > UFC, and that Brock needed to be "humbled" and forced to "pay his dues".

    ReplyDelete
  84. Aric Johnson, Ambrose FanaticJune 19, 2014 at 12:52 PM

    INGERLUUUND

    ReplyDelete
  85. You know, as much as we derided Orton's face run, he never had a fan backlash like Cena during it. So I can understand them doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Aric Johnson, Ambrose FanaticJune 19, 2014 at 12:54 PM

    I would also like to add at this time that Luis Suarez has a bitchy face, and he bites people.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Not enough of Hogan's "protein powder."

    ReplyDelete
  88. I'll just call WCW1987 to tell him to go away again.

    ReplyDelete
  89. He's not the Derrick Rose we need but he is the Derrick Rose we deserve.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Have Casaro taken out of the MITB match by a mysterious attacker. Have Brock replace him mid-match to win the title. Reveal the guy who attacked Ceasro to be paid by Heyman/Brock. Have Brock and Cesaro beat the piss out of each other for 20 minutes for the title. Celebrate as a star is born.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieJune 19, 2014 at 1:03 PM

    Yeah it couldn't have been worse as far as the groups were concerned but the pressure was off and outside of the first 15 minutes of the Chile game Australia were impressive and exciting to watch and it's really all I can ask for

    ReplyDelete
  92. Lift more weights?

    ReplyDelete
  93. That's fucking brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Crikey Mate Down Under AussieJune 19, 2014 at 1:04 PM

    Keen for the World Cup, pretty sure Australia will perform a little better than we do in the soccer :P

    ReplyDelete
  95. I would, especially if I'm the Cavs since he would increase the chances of LeBron returning to Cleveland.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Anybody catch CM Punk on Mark Maron's show?

    ReplyDelete
  97. I honestly think some people didn't even KNOW the WWE had an online shop. They may have gone there for the Network and realized that there is a WWE shop. I've only bought something from the WWE once (a Nexus hoodie) and they did have good customer service, so I'll give them points for that.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Seriously? 300? There's 300 people that show up monthly to the little fed in my city. That fed doesn't have a TV deal or Jeff Hardy.

    ReplyDelete
  99. That would be a disaster. The WWE's audience would have no idea who this Ishii guy is and the WWE would give him Tensai's old theme or maybe the old Orient Express theme. WCW did that whole thing with Flair and Fujinami before and it bombed. Don't see why this would be much different, but hell, most people will see the show because they have the Network anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  100. Ryback-as-Goliath in that scenario (if he's allowed to cut loose) would be awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Yeah, I can see Reigns having a clear shot at scaling the ladder to win before Triple H comes in and pushes him off of it.

    ReplyDelete
  102. You are thinking too hard. Reigns winning the belt would kind of be like when Diesel got it. Since the WWE is seemingly stuck in a rut of bad gimmicks reminiscent of 1994 and 1995, they might as well go all out!

    ReplyDelete
  103. I'll agree with that.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Pretty sure BeardMoney knew he was fantasy booking for himself only.

    One Japanese wrestler who I think could do well in WWE is Takeshi Morishima. He's lost a ton of weight since his ROH run and looks great, plus Bryan would vouch for him.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Then have fun with an injury prone big man. They always work out really well.

    ReplyDelete
  106. I'll take a detour into a main event Orton face run over a main event Big Show face run any day.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Snagged one. Good shot, man!

    ReplyDelete
  108. Anyone know if that number still goes anywhere? I can't call 900 with my cell or work phone.... I'd love it if his last report is still up.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Sure, but there's another PPV in between MitB and Summerslam. Which means he'll instead get interrupted by Kane or something like that, and I shall continue with the eye stabbing.

    ReplyDelete
  110. All of the 80s WWF stars seemed dispirited in WCW. Bobby Heenan turned from one of the best comedic wits in the business to a rambling alcoholic who made no sense. I get the vibe it wasn't a fun place to work. When you saw those guys come back at Wrestlemania X7 they looked incredibly relieved to be back "home".

    ReplyDelete
  111. Evidently the puke segment on Monday Night was a way to write Vickie out. She was convinced to hang on after going back to school for a "proper sendoff" and that's what it was. Stay classy WWE!

    ReplyDelete
  112. I'd take Gene's opinion over pretty much everyone else in wrestling. He's been around a while and he's got that old man "I don't give a shit" attitude. He's not looking in the rearview mirror when he backs and he's not pretending he likes people he doesn't any more.

    ReplyDelete
  113. I didn't even get one and I was on at 3 PM on the dot lol.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Yeah. I just found out it's a snippet from an interview done last July/August rendering it useless.

    ReplyDelete
  115. oh yea he did the podcast. I hadn't seen last weeks ep of the tv show yet so I thought maybe he was on.

    ReplyDelete
  116. They better turn this around or...the queen should go all North Korea on them

    ReplyDelete
  117. No longer in service.


    (Yeah, I just tried it.)

    ReplyDelete
  118. That's right -- they screwed up Punk twice after MITB. So there is some hope for becoming a true star out of multi-man matches instead of becoming the Miz.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 2:03 PM

    My thing is if they could get put a show on the Youtube channel and get money per view it would most definitely offset some of the expense. it would NOT cost them anything extra to have a camera at house shows or tape a dark match.
    TNA isn't maximizing their resources the way they should.

    ReplyDelete
  120. somewhere Triple H is crying.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 2:03 PM

    Well played.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Mysterio getting beat clean in non title matches was soo incredibly stupid, even by WWE standards.

    ReplyDelete
  123. I like to view that first reign of Orton as what someone said a while back. The title disappeared at WMXX and then Orton found it in the trash at SummerSlam.

    ReplyDelete
  124. He didn't get what he wanted.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Mister_E_LogdriverJune 19, 2014 at 2:08 PM

    Easily the best interviewer ever.
    Also, a rare kind word for Ric Flair.

    ReplyDelete
  126. That is something I want to see, look how well the mind games of Undertaker worked on Brock.......oh wait..

    ReplyDelete
  127. at least don't have him lose at the next WrestleMania (where everyone expects him to lose if he is the champion).

    ReplyDelete
  128. Porn Peddlin' Jef VinsonJune 19, 2014 at 2:13 PM

    They have Varejao. They don't need another.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Too bad, that would have been a hell of a real life easter egg to find. I wonder what his last report would have said?

    ReplyDelete
  130. Kevin love Trade Rumor:

    ESPN reporting that the Warriors are offering Thompson and Lee for Love, Kevin Martin, JJ Barea and the 13th pick in the draft.

    ReplyDelete
  131. I would prefer this a lot over whatever they are doing with him now (with no real explaination given).

    ReplyDelete
  132. I would have Cesaro win, Brock comes back because he wants the title, Heyman turns on Cesaro. Gives Cesaro a 2 month run with the belt, a push on top for a bit and the face turn

    ReplyDelete
  133. he is obviously a training freak and über-competitive, too. that's good enough as a starting point.

    ReplyDelete
  134. Honestly, Bret was just a dude with the belt while the focus was on the real stars. He went on last at SurSer but the Flair match was the main event.

    ReplyDelete
  135. If Roman did win could we safely assume it would be the first of many... Reigns?!?

    ReplyDelete
  136. absolutely. but it would be the job for Cole and the rest at least to hint at how serious it is.

    ReplyDelete
  137. Refs ae in the fucking bag for Uruguay

    ReplyDelete
  138. Yep. When I see local ads for house shows, we're lucky if they announce the main event.

    ReplyDelete
  139. 1-1 now, so fuck the refs.

    ReplyDelete
  140. "There is a rumor that a big name owner of a rival wrestling promotion has just bought World Championship Wrestling for pennies on the dollar and I'm now out of a job".

    ReplyDelete
  141. Aric Johnson, Ambrose FanaticJune 19, 2014 at 2:41 PM

    God damnit.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Suarez 2
    England 1


    Amazing that Suarez wasn't somehow offside there.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Aric Johnson, Ambrose FanaticJune 19, 2014 at 2:48 PM

    Just caught Hodgson checking his watch to see how many minutes he has left as England's manager.

    ReplyDelete
  144. I didn't think there was a team that could be more overrated than Portgual.


    Sup, England.

    ReplyDelete
  145. Sad part is, this is probably the best they'll get in a trade.

    ReplyDelete
  146. I don't think anyone had them as any sort of favorite coming in... except for the most deluded hardcore fans.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Aric Johnson, Ambrose FanaticJune 19, 2014 at 2:58 PM

    Except in the US. Where the most overrated team is the US.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Find me anyone thinking we can beat Germany, and I'll find you a delusional nitwit. (And if that nitwit ends up proven right, I'll likely have heart trouble by the end of that game. Along with many others.)


    We beat Ghana, we can beat Portugal. We can also lose to Portugal very badly.

    ReplyDelete
  149. No-one in England has had any illusions about our ability or standing in world football for about a decade.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Glad to see you're down with puns now!


    And that's the tooth!

    ReplyDelete
  151. This is what I want as well. The only issue would be what they do with Cesaro afterwards.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Oops, left the gas on.

    HAHAHAHAHA

    ReplyDelete
  153. That's the one I was referring to.

    ReplyDelete
  154. 11 yr. old Lucy Li shoots an 80 (+8) in the first round of the Women's U.S. Open. She beat (or will beat) 20 other golfers.


    Those 20 should be cut IMMEDIATELY. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  155. I can't remember but that doesn't sound too far off. I remember him getting fluke-ish victories left and right though.

    ReplyDelete
  156. I'll say this much - kayfabe or no, and as full of BS as wrestlers tend to be... you clearly do NOT want to fuck with Haku.

    ReplyDelete
  157. Hell I read almost the whole thing in Gene-speak.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Aric Johnson, Ambrose FanaticJune 19, 2014 at 3:13 PM

    If Tiger had been a girl he'd have won that tournament as a fetus.

    ReplyDelete
  159. I just saw that, those girls start SUPER young on that LPGA tour. I think Lexi Thompson's been on tour since 14, or maybe younger.

    Jessica Korda +9 :(

    ReplyDelete
  160. I do wish they'd asked him about the Hogan heel turn interview, just because. That had to be an unreal situation.

    ReplyDelete
  161. I would actually love that DVD.

    ReplyDelete
  162. I think he's gone after the tournament (unless there's a miracle that gets us out of the group). Shame, as he's a nice bloke and hasn't done a bad job, but the media will make his position untenable.

    ReplyDelete
  163. A disallusioned Portugal, with no Pepe and a half-fit Ronaldo. USA have a great chance to get through before the Germany game.

    ReplyDelete
  164. The Love-Matic Grampa!June 19, 2014 at 3:25 PM

    The older I get, the more appreciation I have for Harley Race.

    ReplyDelete
  165. The Love-Matic Grampa!June 19, 2014 at 3:26 PM

    That doesn't surprise me, and you know at this point Vickie knows what she's getting into.

    As long as the check clears...

    ReplyDelete
  166. I don't think that's as nailed on as you might think. If you compare our perfromances in losing these two games to the abject way we played in 2010 or even 2006, it's a vast improvement, especially when you consider how tough our group was and how young our squad was. Also there wasn't the usual ridiculous hype in the buildup to the tournament that we usually have to put up with (no hotpoint washing machine adverts stating that 'this is our year' or anything like that). I think Hodgson will at least get to take us to the euros. Gerrard is done though.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Exactly. You have to be rated in the first place to be overrated.

    ReplyDelete
  168. I think Ronaldo will be perfectly fine for the game... but I know shit happens.

    ReplyDelete
  169. It's not offside if the ball comes off an opposition player.

    ReplyDelete
  170. Yeah, I missed the original play. Gerrard FAIL, apparently.

    ReplyDelete
  171. I'd certainly like him to stay, he deserves a shot at the Euros, rebuilding the team with Wilshere in Gerrard's place and Rooney as the new captain.

    I can just see the papers' reaction tomorrow though, especially from the people who thought Harry Redknapp should have gotten the job. They seem to have given poor Roy short shrift from the start.

    ReplyDelete
  172. She's still an amateur, IIRC.


    (Checking...) Yeah, she qualified through sectional play, winning her region by SEVEN STROKES. Wow. And she apparently has no intention of turning pro any time soon. Unlike good ole Michelle Wie.

    ReplyDelete
  173. As excellent a player as Gerrard is, he does have a habit of screwing up on big occasions.

    - Misplaced back-pass allowing France to score a winner at Euro 2004
    - Own goal vs Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final 2005
    - Slipped to give Chelsea a crucial goal in the EPL title decider a few months back
    - Tonight

    ReplyDelete
  174. Sources indicate that it's possible Cena is going to win. However, there is talk he might not. Uhh..ya know, ya just don't know. Plans change, There is talk amongst people that know that it's possible that Sting May or may not also be there,so if he is there, he will be, but if not, he won't be.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Wie is right up there today, that unusual putting style really works for her. I'll be rooting for Paula Creamer, my personal favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Looking forward:


    Tonight: Japan beats Greece 1-0/2-1 (Although a draw would not be stunning)
    Tomorrow: France over Switzerland (3-1), Ecuador over Honduras (1-0/2-0), and Italy over Costa Rica (2-1) Most likely draw: Ecuador/Honduras. I doubt they'd be as "bad" as Iran v Nigeria, but 1-1 or 0-0 isn't an impossibility.

    ReplyDelete
  177. Fun fact: There's a wrestling tie-in to the Japan-Greece game. Japan's main playmaker Keisuke Honda is cousins with NOAH midcarder Tamon Honda.

    ReplyDelete
  178. I hope Greece and Honduras lose, I don't like their style of play. Italy should beat Costa Rica. Switzerland are my dark horses, so I'll go for a draw there. Let's say:

    Japan 2-0 Greece
    Italy 3-1 Costa Rica
    France 2-2 Switzerland
    Ecuador 1-0 Honduras

    Ecu/Hon is on at the same time as Smackdown and the women's golf, so plenty of channel hopping for me, and the match will probably get the least of my attention.

    ReplyDelete
  179. It's a U.S. Open. High scores happen and each round is independent from the other. I don't really support having an 11 year old in the Open, but to her credit, she qualified so it's not like she got some type of weak sponsor's exemption. I'm also not her parents. I just hope that she isn't going to have tons of expectations foisted upon her too soon like Michelle Wie and actually gets to enjoy being a teenager.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Partly, but Jagielka either has to attack the header or drop back and cover Suarez. He did neither, and you don't need to give Suarez an invitation to score.

    ReplyDelete
  181. Bryan Alvarez and I discussed this on the podcast yesterday. Sources close to the situation indicate Ishii is under contract for the foreseeable future. However, people within both companies have speculated that it may be possibly possible that Ishii would consider considering signing with WWE working a rice farmer gimmick. It's speculation at this point and as we know, plans change.

    ReplyDelete
  182. Italy 4-0 over Costa Rica to give England a better chance next week :fingers crossed:

    ReplyDelete

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