I'm really shocked WWE is trying to bring Michael Sam onto Raw in some cheap attempt to grab ratings. It would be a fantastic idea to reach out to him about training at the performance center. Here is a young, famous, elite athlete who could likely transition very well into pro wrestling at this point in the game. He also has some B level celeb status that would put eyeballs on WWE when he debuted. How they don't have the insight to actually go about this through the right avenues I will never know. This is as bad as Eric Bischoff challenging Vince McMahon to a fight at Slamboree 98'. The company should be embarrassed.
Kruger is so lame that even Vince is making fun of his comeback attempts.
I imagine that auditioning for Vince would be pretty nerve wrecking. Don't know why but WCW just seemed to throw guys out there. Probably wasn't the case but it appeared that way sometimes.
That was weird, they basically announced the Kid's heel turn in advance. Like they spelled it out. They actually said on TV that since the Kid might not be trusted, the match is no longer for the IC title.
It reminds me of Mark Henry beating Orton for the title clean, then winning the rematch clean. And Orton was a tippy top guy at the time. It's been done before, I expect it to be done again.
it sucks because for every step he's lost in the ring he has finally made that up in mic charisma. The fans actually get behind him and the idea of the Hall of Pain now
The interesting thing about all that is even though Michaels himself may not have drawn huge during his first run on top, almost all his friends ended up on top either in WCW or WWF. His influence in the business before his first retirement should not be understated, imo.
Rewatching 1998, I've become an even bigger fan of the Nation. Everyone involved in that group came out the better for it, with the exception of Owen through a tragic accident (and even he had a decent tag team with Jarrett afterward). Refreshing to see how the WWE had two stables that worked to the benefit of 10 or so people.
If you're telling me you didn't check out the Fappening pictures then you are a liar. There's nothing creepy about it, it's like checking out the car crash at the side of the road - it's impossible not to look.
Comparing it to condoning rape is pretty fucking stupid.
How long can people continue denying that Miz is killing it right now? Finally recovered from the ill advised face turn and on the path back to the main event again.
I don't see what they are going to do with him Monday that isn't cringe worthy. I'm guessing a Sandow or someone will come out but what are you going to do to draw heat before the inevitable Sam knocks him out moment? Is he going to make fun of Sam for not making the team? For being gay? It is going to come off pretty bad since it's a guy that pretty much everyone was rooting for and everyone had a aw..that's a shame he couldn't make the cut.
On the other hand if you bring him out and just suck up to him that is incredibly boring tv. So this seems like a no win situation. OF course this is WWE so there is always the chance that they want to hire him stick him with Darren Young and form a new Chuck & Billy team..and don't see anything wrong with that.
Let's not forget that WWE pretty much knows that there is a 0.0001% chance that he does actually accept the invite, so they don't even need to have a plan for it.
Ok...so what is the end game there? they drop it and not mention it Monday? Have Sandow come out as Sam and go 100 times more cringe worthy? Say Sam didn't accept and try and make him the heel for not show up? I still don't see how this works in any way.
I heart strong midcards. I hope after NOC they call up some NXTers to pad things out. Shift Breeze, Zayn, and Neville up along with Kidd and let Steen, Devitt, Kenta etc fill the gap.
Yea great...but that doesn't answer my question of what they do Monday. Also that's low rent and reeking of desperation to try and latch on to someone who has nothing to do with and has no intention of having anything to do with your company. They might as well invite Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Allison Brie and on and on and the Hacker to Raw Monday for hell in the cell match.
Ah. So either nothing, or maybe the "Sandow gets knocked out" thing. Either way, it's pro rasslin', so they don't really take themselves seriously, and neither should we.
Imagine if they put as much focus into the midcard as they did into the Bella Twins angle. I still cannot for the life of me fathom why a company that has the deepest roster pool on the Planet Earth cannot make better use of their time. Can people be so blind and/or full of hubris that they stop comprehending how badly their shitty product stinks?
Get a TV network to pick up a WWE show called Midcarders and they will start putting some effort into it.
Beyond that though why would you expect them to put the effort they are putting into the bellas, which they are doing to help promote the show on E, into their own mid card guys to help.....promote their own tv shows, company, house show gates merchandise sales and so on....that's just silly.
Are we all fairly certain that this Bella bullshit is going to end with the revelation that Nikki was faking the entire thing and both twins beating the ever loving crap out of Stephanie? Because that might be the only really satisfying payoff for this.
IT is going to end with budget cuts and they only keep one Bella twin. The reveal will be there was only ever one twin to begin with...then when asked to explain every time they have been seen on camera together...HHH and Steph run away.
Why didn't they just both beat her up at SummerSlam? Brie already got her job back as a condition of the match with Stephanie, so what would the explanation be for dragging this ridiculous storyline out for another month?
They were both faces at the time and Nash was feuding with Sid. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot of thought put into it beyond that, but really that's all they need sometimes.
I've been thinking about this. The only answer I have is "Stephanie's guard was up at SummerSlam". HHH interfered in their singles match -- she would've expected a 2-on-1 and had backup plans. They need to get her where she's unprepared and can't get people to bail her out.
Of course, the real answer is that Stephanie doesn't know how to book herself, which is too bad.
Yeah, it was pretty lazy writing where just because you're a face, your past transgressions get forgotton about and long time enemies suddenly become friends just because they like slapping fans hands.
You think these tights/ring gear are bad, wait until January '96 when a jobber wears what appears to be patterned curtains during his squash. Ahmed Johnson rightly destroys him.
I like how this was Ted DiBiase first big chance to bag a title belt in his stable and Gorrilla Monsoon had to troll him by making it a non-title match.
Sid coming through the pyro was actually a pretty cool image. If they had followed it up with the match either later in the show or the next week, the whole thing wouldn't have sucked so bad. You have Sid get a big win going into his PPV match with Diesel which would have been decent booking, even if the resulting match was crap.
Sid vs Ramon ended up being a match in December that year (Raw main event). It had some behind the scenes drama, as Sid was given the IC title at the show for the win (it was a screwjob by Kid turning heel) but after Ramon complained backstage, the taped show was then changed to a non-title match. Sid then told management he "hurt his back" and sat out until July 96. Kid and Sid were to be a heel tag unit as "Psycho Kid and Sid."
You should change your name!
ReplyDeleteHe's had a few fun matches with Rey over the years.
ReplyDeleteI'm really shocked WWE is trying to bring Michael Sam onto Raw in some cheap attempt to grab ratings. It would be a fantastic idea to reach out to him about training at the performance center. Here is a young, famous, elite athlete who could likely transition very well into pro wrestling at this point in the game. He also has some B level celeb status that would put eyeballs on WWE when he debuted. How they don't have the insight to actually go about this through the right avenues I will never know. This is as bad as Eric Bischoff challenging Vince McMahon to a fight at Slamboree 98'. The company should be embarrassed.
ReplyDeleteWell many complain about 50:50 booking, but if you want 100:0 booking, you get shows like this. ;)
ReplyDeleteIf *THAT* is what you consider embarrassing for a pro wrestling company, then... Welcome, Mr new Rasslin' fan! I'm sure you'll enjoy this wacky sport!
ReplyDeleteOH BURN, he took a jab at the guy who corrected his Nebraska abbreviation!!
ReplyDeleteSid clobbers Razor during the pyro and powerbombs him
ReplyDeleteJust looked this up on youtube. Sid continues to the shit. Didn't think Nash and Hall were storyline bros. Would be out of character for Ramon, right?
He very rarely wrestled on TV, making his house show appearances feel more important. Aka, the reason why house shows don't matter anymore.
ReplyDeleteKruger is so lame that even Vince is making fun of his comeback attempts.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that auditioning for Vince would be pretty nerve wrecking. Don't know why but WCW just seemed to throw guys out there. Probably wasn't the case but it appeared that way sometimes.
Nope, gotta keep it strong to carry Total Divas.
ReplyDeleteThat was weird, they basically announced the Kid's heel turn in advance. Like they spelled it out. They actually said on TV that since the Kid might not be trusted, the match is no longer for the IC title.
ReplyDeleteI'm not gonna be Brie Mode!
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of Mark Henry beating Orton for the title clean, then winning the rematch clean. And Orton was a tippy top guy at the time. It's been done before, I expect it to be done again.
ReplyDeletenew year, new gimmick, kid
ReplyDeleteCome November 15th.......
ReplyDeleteit sucks because for every step he's lost in the ring he has finally made that up in mic charisma. The fans actually get behind him and the idea of the Hall of Pain now
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing about all that is even though Michaels himself may not have drawn huge during his first run on top, almost all his friends ended up on top either in WCW or WWF. His influence in the business before his first retirement should not be understated, imo.
ReplyDeleteRewatching 1998, I've become an even bigger fan of the Nation. Everyone involved in that group came out the better for it, with the exception of Owen through a tragic accident (and even he had a decent tag team with Jarrett afterward). Refreshing to see how the WWE had two stables that worked to the benefit of 10 or so people.
ReplyDeleteIf you're telling me you didn't check out the Fappening pictures then you are a liar. There's nothing creepy about it, it's like checking out the car crash at the side of the road - it's impossible not to look.
ReplyDeleteComparing it to condoning rape is pretty fucking stupid.
How long can people continue denying that Miz is killing it right now? Finally recovered from the ill advised face turn and on the path back to the main event again.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a lapsed Jerichoholic, I remember him doing it a few times after he first joined WWE.
ReplyDeleteWhich guy from NYPD Blue? Jimmy Smits? Dennis Franz? Gordon Clapp? John Turturro's brother?
ReplyDeleteI don't see what they are going to do with him Monday that isn't cringe worthy. I'm guessing a Sandow or someone will come out but what are you going to do to draw heat before the inevitable Sam knocks him out moment? Is he going to make fun of Sam for not making the team? For being gay? It is going to come off pretty bad since it's a guy that pretty much everyone was rooting for and everyone had a aw..that's a shame he couldn't make the cut.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand if you bring him out and just suck up to him that is incredibly boring tv. So this seems like a no win situation. OF course this is WWE so there is always the chance that they want to hire him stick him with Darren Young and form a new Chuck & Billy team..and don't see anything wrong with that.
Let's not forget that WWE pretty much knows that there is a 0.0001% chance that he does actually accept the invite, so they don't even need to have a plan for it.
ReplyDeleteOk...so what is the end game there? they drop it and not mention it Monday? Have Sandow come out as Sam and go 100 times more cringe worthy? Say Sam didn't accept and try and make him the heel for not show up? I still don't see how this works in any way.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which you can now watch Jericho arrogant cover on PPV and Nitro for only 9.99
ReplyDeleteThe end game is that they got publicity for the invite. Case closed, game over.
ReplyDeleteI heart strong midcards. I hope after NOC they call up some NXTers to pad things out. Shift Breeze, Zayn, and Neville up along with Kidd and let Steen, Devitt, Kenta etc fill the gap.
ReplyDeleteThat's almost a penny per Jericho move!
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there!
ReplyDeleteYea great...but that doesn't answer my question of what they do Monday. Also that's low rent and reeking of desperation to try and latch on to someone who has nothing to do with and has no intention of having anything to do with your company. They might as well invite Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Allison Brie and on and on and the Hacker to Raw Monday for hell in the cell match.
ReplyDeleteIt's not even about drawing money, he was just never as relevant at any point as HHH or even Hall & Nash were in the nWo.
ReplyDelete... WWE PR 101 in a nutshell. Promise, and don't worry about delivering. If he shows, great. If he doesn't, who'll give a shit?
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to capitalize Main Event.
ReplyDeleteProbably nothing. In this case, you might be overthinking it. Did they even mention it on TV, or just twitter?
ReplyDeleteTV
ReplyDeleteAh. So either nothing, or maybe the "Sandow gets knocked out" thing. Either way, it's pro rasslin', so they don't really take themselves seriously, and neither should we.
ReplyDelete"And while I'm watching this Monday Night War ad, does anyone really believe DX did anything to turn the tide?"
ReplyDeleteUmm...yes? They absolutely played a big part. Vince and Austin are obviously the main factors, but they didn't do it alone.
I'll be your friend if you do...
ReplyDeleteYou're doing God's rant work, sir.
ReplyDeleteIf you do NOTHING ELSE of note on the blog for the rest of your time here, you will always hagve THIS!
ReplyDeleteImagine if they put as much focus into the midcard as they did into the Bella Twins angle. I still cannot for the life of me fathom why a company that has the deepest roster pool on the Planet Earth cannot make better use of their time. Can people be so blind and/or full of hubris that they stop comprehending how badly their shitty product stinks?
ReplyDeleteGet a TV network to pick up a WWE show called Midcarders and they will start putting some effort into it.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that though why would you expect them to put the effort they are putting into the bellas, which they are doing to help promote the show on E, into their own mid card guys to help.....promote their own tv shows, company, house show gates merchandise sales and so on....that's just silly.
Are we all fairly certain that this Bella bullshit is going to end with the revelation that Nikki was faking the entire thing and both twins beating the ever loving crap out of Stephanie? Because that might be the only really satisfying payoff for this.
ReplyDeleteIT is going to end with budget cuts and they only keep one Bella twin. The reveal will be there was only ever one twin to begin with...then when asked to explain every time they have been seen on camera together...HHH and Steph run away.
ReplyDeleteWizard.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't they just both beat her up at SummerSlam? Brie already got her job back as a condition of the match with Stephanie, so what would the explanation be for dragging this ridiculous storyline out for another month?
ReplyDeleteYou answered yourself in your statement "The only really satisfying payoff for this" "This Bella bullshit is going to end"
ReplyDeleteDidn't you watch Raw? She totally made out with her prom date! THE BIATCH!!
ReplyDeleteThey might as well go all out and start "inviting" top names to appear on Raw each week.
ReplyDelete"LeBron James has been asked to guest host next Monday! Tune in to see if he accepts!"
"Will Robert Downey, Jr. and Bradley Cooper form a new faction to fight The Authority? Check out Smackdown to find out!"
"Next week, it's the Highlight Reel, with invited special guest President Barack Obama!"
GLENN BEC... Oh wait, been there, done that, didn't work.
ReplyDeleteJust like you, I didn't watch Raw.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of glad I didn't. Had I watched that relevation live, I would have thrown a brick into my TV! SERIOUSLY, BRIE CROSSED A LINE THERE!!
ReplyDeleteDX "invading" Nitro was a pretty big deal at the time.
ReplyDeleteThey were both faces at the time and Nash was feuding with Sid. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot of thought put into it beyond that, but really that's all they need sometimes.
ReplyDeleteJJ couldn't get over in an airplane, but yeah, having a screwjob over Bob Holly sure didn't help his cause.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this. The only answer I have is "Stephanie's guard was up at SummerSlam". HHH interfered in their singles match -- she would've expected a 2-on-1 and had backup plans. They need to get her where she's unprepared and can't get people to bail her out.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the real answer is that Stephanie doesn't know how to book herself, which is too bad.
Christian freshen things up? Lol
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was about a year later. Abeyance went toe-to-toe with Commissioner Gorilla Monsoon for a one week reign.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was pretty lazy writing where just because you're a face, your past transgressions get forgotton about and long time enemies suddenly become friends just because they like slapping fans hands.
ReplyDeleteYou think these tights/ring gear are bad, wait until January '96 when a jobber wears what appears to be patterned curtains during his squash. Ahmed Johnson rightly destroys him.
ReplyDeleteYeah while Sid/Razor eventually did happen, Sid's credibility took such a big hit that it wouldn't even have been a semi main event of a indy show.
ReplyDeleteI like how this was Ted DiBiase first big chance to bag a title belt in his stable and Gorrilla Monsoon had to troll him by making it a non-title match.
ReplyDeleteSid coming through the pyro was actually a pretty cool image. If they had followed it up with the match either later in the show or the next week, the whole thing wouldn't have sucked so bad. You have Sid get a big win going into his PPV match with Diesel which would have been decent booking, even if the resulting match was crap.
ReplyDeleteSid vs Ramon ended up being a match in December that year (Raw main event). It had some behind the scenes drama, as Sid was given the IC title at the show for the win (it was a screwjob by Kid turning heel) but after Ramon complained backstage, the taped show was then changed to a non-title match. Sid then told management he "hurt his back" and sat out until July 96. Kid and Sid were to be a heel tag unit as "Psycho Kid and Sid."
ReplyDeleteWhat was the problem? Ramon ended up dropping it to Goldust which to me is an even worse loss.
ReplyDelete