Skip to main content

RAW Rundown 5-25-15

May 25, 2015

From the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY

Your hosts are Booker T, JBL, and Michael Cole





Before the show starts, the WWE honors Memorial Day with a photo montage that included several Superstars and Divas giving thanks then Eden Stiles lead the crowd in a moment of silence to start off the show.



The show starts with the Authority coming out to the ring. Seth Rollins sarcastically thanks Dean Ambrose for extorting a title shot out of the Authority.  He then talks about the ridiculousness of Ambrose being a role-model for the WWE Universe as the crowd starts an "We Want Ambrose" chant. Rollins then talks about how the Authority can take Ambrose's title shot away, and even fire him, but that he asked them not to do that before saying that Ambrose his not a threat or even "on his level." HHH then holds out the contract in his hand as he tells Ambrose that he needs to sign in order to have a shot at the title. Ambrose comes out, to the delight of the crowd, as he tells us something might be wrong with him as instead of counting sheep, he counted "punching Seth Rollins in the face" as he talks about getting happy at the thought of beating up Rollins. He then says the next time he beats him up it will be for the WWE World Title. He then tells us when he wins the belt, he will make changes as he runs down J&J Security and give Kane a collar because he is a "lap dog." Ambrose gets in a Justin Bieber reference aimed at Rollins as the crowd starts chanting for Bieber, as Rollins defends Bieber for being rich, famous, handsome, and the most successful artist of his generation. Rollins then tells the crowd they are jealous of Bieber like Ambrose is jealous of himself. Rollins tells Ambrose he is destined to be a loser as Ambrose finally heads down to the ring as the Authority look to pounce on him then Roman Reigns' music hits as he comes through the crowd to stand by Ambrose. Stephanie then talks about how its cute to see these two inseparable but Ambrose needs to sign the contract before the end of the night. She also makes Ambrose & Reigns vs. Kane & Rollins and that will happen now. The segment went on for too long and some of the dialogue these writers come up with his pitiful. If it was shorter it would have been a lot more tolerable.



Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose d. Kane & Seth Rollins when Ambrose pinned Rollins with a rollup (12:53) **.

The match started right after the commercial break. Ambrose & Reigns start the match by working over Kane. Rollins tagged in and works over Ambrose briefly as the announcers talk about the Nassau Coliseum as this will be the last WWE event to take place here as the building will be demolished. Reigns then comes in and hits Rollins with a Samoan Drop but gets distracted by J&J Security as he went for his apron kick and that allows Rollins to kick him down. Rollins grabs a chinlock on Reigns but breaks out then knocks Rollins down before tagging Ambrose, who runs wild. He hits a tope then Reigns & Ambrose stand tall as we go to break. When we return, we see that Rollins dropkicked Ambrose, who was in the tree-of-woe position during the break to regain control of the match. Ambrose came back with a clothesline then tagged Reigns, who beats down Kane until he got distracted by J&J Security. Kane tried a chokeslam but that failed as Ambrose tagged in and dropped an elbow for two. Rollins tagged and hit Ambrose with a springboard knee smash for two. Rollins tried a kick then Ambrose rebounded off of the ropes, leading to a mini-reversal sequence that ended with Ambrose getting the win with a backslide. Not much of a match and there was a surprising lack of crowd reaction here too. The announcers kept on pushing the fact that someone as unhinged as Ambrose could be the champion at Elimination Chamber, which means that he will not be winning this coming Sunday.



Renee Young tries to interview Ambrose but J&J Security interrupts. They teased having the contract for Ambrose to sign but it turned out to be false so Ambrose smiled then slapped Noble, triggering a brawl. Ambrose accidentally knocked out the camera man as J&J ran away as Ambrose was freaking out.



We are shown a video package of Kevin Owens that showed him attack Sami Zayn and then John Cena, his opponent at Elimination Chamber.



The cast of "Entourage" pull up in a limo then walk backstage.



A replay of last week's show with Rusev yelling at Lana, telling her to leave, then having Ziggler run out to hit Rusev with the Zig Zag as they walk away together.



Rusev d. R-Truth with the Accolade (1:00) 1/4*

R-Truth lands a few punches before hitting a back elbow smash. Rusev catches R-Truth with the super kick then stomps on his back before getting the win with the Accolade. A nothing match and why even bother having R-Truth in the IC Title Elimination Chamber match if he is jobbing in a minute on TV? Or better yet, have Rusev destroy one of the other geeks on the roster that barely get used.



After the match, Rusev grabs the mic and then begs Lana to come down to the ring so they can talk. Rusev begged throughout the commercial break as when we came back, Lana walked down to the ring. Rusev then tells Lana that she is doing this for attention as he talks about meeting for the first time in Bulgaria as a "USA" chant breaks out. Rusev then asks for her hand so all will be forgotten as they can conquer their dreams together and crush America. Lana accepts and grabs his hand as they parade around the ring for a bit. Rusev then wants her to say that she was wrong but Lana gets pissed off then walks away as Rusev tells her as long as she admits it was her fault everything will be back to normal. Lana then said that he was wrong as he did say "I quit" as Rusev is now furious as he tells her that she needs to know her place and that he even owns her as he demands Lana stand by him. Lana tells Rusev he is a liar and a quitter, not to mention a coward who does not take responsibility for his action. Lana says he does not own her and will no longer listen to his "caveman" ways as she then walks away, with the crowd loudly cheering. As Rusev screams, Ziggler's music hits, causing Lana to smile as they make out on the ramp, with Rusev losing his mind in the ring. Rusev was tremendous here. He has vastly improved over the past few months in all aspects of wrestling. I was really impressed with him here and hope he does not get lost in the shuffle after this is finished.



Ambrose is in the locker room with Rollins and HHH. He is expecting to sign the title match contract but instead the cameraman walks in with two police officers. He is asked if he wants to press charges but says no as he felt someone shove him from behind. Seth promptly tells the cameraman to shut up as the officers take Ambrose away, with Seth and HHH laughing it up. The arrest angle stuff is a tired trope in wrestling and really not much of a way to build heat in 2015.



Rollins, J&J Security, and Kane are celebrating backstage after watching Ambrose get hauled off.



Ryback d. King Barrett with the Shell-Shock (3:54) *1/2

Ryback is still selling the rib injuries he suffered from Bray Wyatt at Payback. Ryback takes control early as he slams Barrett around. Barrett ducked outside where he caught Ryback with a kick to the ribs. Back inside, Barrett continued to attack the ribs of Ryback then worked a surfboard briefly until Ryback backed Barrett into the corner. Barrett yanks Ryback off of the top then hit the Winds of Change but Ryback kicked out. Barrett set up for the Bullhammer then taunted Ryback, who immediately hit him with a spinebuster then got the win with the Shell-Shock. Match was fine for what it was and it looks like they are positioning Rusev and Ryback as the favorites for the IC Title.



Backstage, Stephanie & HHH are talking about Ambrose, who HHH feels will not get out of central booking. The cast of Entourage come in as they yuck it up with Kevin Dillon getting in a "SummerFest" dig at Jeremy Piven as Jerry Ferrara brings up his scene in the film with Ronda Rousey and how Stephanie knows about her from WrestleMania. Stephanie then tells them that their dressing room is down the hall as they quietly walk away, with the Authority staring them down. Fine for a celebrity cameo segment. The Entourage guys all seem happy to be there for the most part. Adrian Grenier was the exception.



A quick montage of "Tough Enough" audition tapes are shown.



Neville d. Stardust with the Red Arrow (3:18) *. 

Before the match, Stardust was getting into the face of actor Stephen Amell, who was sitting at ringside. It was also announced that Neville will face Bo Dallas at Elimination Chamber. Neville is still selling his left knee. Stardust takes control with a Dragon Screw after Neville build up some offense to start the match. Startdust hit a delayed gordbuster for two. Bo Dallas came out to the ring and shouted off words of inspiration to Neville, who fought back and hit a tornado DDT then got the win with the Red Arrow. After the match, Dallas came into the ring and told Neville he could pick himself back up as long as he Bo-lieved then he dropkicked Neville in the knee as soon as he got up and celebrated that with a victory lap around the ring. The crowd didnt really seem to care about any of this but its a fine lower midcard feud and keeps Neville fresh until something better comes along.



Kevin Dillon and Adrien Grenier tell Ferrara that he has to watch out what he says then Kevin Connolly is shown with Zack Ryder as they go into their locker room while divas Summer Rae, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Emma fawn all over the cast, who are all with Ryder behind closed doors devising some sort of plan.



An ad for "Money in the Bank," which will take place on June 14th.



Sheamus d. Dolph Ziggler with the Brogue Kick (10:20) **1/2. 

Sheamus beats on Ziggler to start the match as the announcers talk about the situation between Ziggler and Lana. Ziggler gets outsmarted by Sheamus, who backed himself into the corner, but was able to come back with a dropkick. They spill outside where Sheamus catches Ziggler with a tilt-a-whirl slam to the floor as we go to break. When we return, Sheamus gets two with a backbreaker as the camera shows Lana standing on the ramp. Ziggler fights back and hits a jawbreaker. He then slugs away as Lana is shown smiling. He heads up top and hits a crossbody, followed by a Rocker Dropper for a nearfall. Rusev comes out and smirks at Lana as he walked by her then distracts Ziggler, who walks into a Brogue Kick as Sheamus gets the win. After the match, Rusev beats on Ziggler and puts him in the Accolade as Lana looks on as she stares straight ahead. The match was nothing new, its been like  times over the past month or so, but the post-match stuff with Rusev and Lana was intriguing at least.



A replay of last week's "U.S. Title Open Challenge" when Owens attacked John Cena.



Cena comes out for the Open Challenge. He first addresses the "Let's go Cena, Cena Sucks" chant then says how some fight with him while some fight against him as the crowd starts up that chant. Cena then pauses so the crowd can finish their "We Want Ryder" chant as he goes back to more or less the same promo he has been cutting for years with regards to the crowd reaction. He then tells us those who chant that he sucks are the same people for Kevin Owens and his actions, like injuring his friend. Cena then tells the crowd "Fight, Owens, Fight" might replace the "Cena Sucks" portion of his chant then talks about tonight and who will answer his open challenge. The theme song to "Entourage" hits as the cast comes out. Connolly tells Cena they are here to introduce a superstar that is from Long Island as they welcome Zack Ryder, who gets a nice hometown reaction. Cena is easily the best at working the crowd on the current roster and even gave them a new chant to use for his Elimination Chamber match.



John Cena d. Zack Ryder with the A.A. (4:05) **

The cast of "Entourage" sat at ringside. Cena took control early until Ryder got his knees up on a charge. Ryder came back with a missile dropkick but Cena eluded a Broski Boot attempt then hit a shoulder tackle. He went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle then Kevin Dillon got into the ring and teased going after Cena but eventually left as Ryder got a rollup for two. Ryder finally hit the Broski Boot as the crowd was digging the comeback. He hit the Rough Ryder for two but missed a 450 splash then fell victim to the A.A. After the match, Cena raised the hand of Ryder as the cast of Entourage joined them all then left but when they did, Kevin Owens appeared and hit Cena with the pop-up powerbomb as he stood over Cena with his NXT Title, while stepping on the U.S. Title. As far as the match, I felt happy for Ryder as this is likely the last time he will get a reaction like he had tonight as the building is closing. He looked genuinely ecstatic too. Also, he just turned 30 years old over a week ago, which is nuts as he has been here for about 9 years. Unfortunately for him, he has been cemented as a job guy here and is just not that good of a wrestler. The post-match angle with Owens was great as they are really putting him over strong for this match, which is one that I am really looking forward to this Sunday.



Backstage, Stephanie tells HHH that she is impressed by him and that he is scary as Rollins tells them he knows Owens but not to get carried away as he is still the present and the future. Renee Young interrupts to ask Stephanie about Ambrose and the World Title situation as she says they will decide about the title at the end of the night.



A recap of the events that led to Ambrose getting arrested.



The Bella Twins come out to join us on commentary before the break for the Paige vs. Tamina match.



An ad for Smackdown, plugging a match between Ryback and Rusev



Tamina d. Paige with a Samoan Drop (3:35) -*. 

Before the match we got a replay of Paige returning to attack Tamina and Naomi before hitting Nikki with the Rampage. We also learn that Naomi vs. Paige vs. Nikki will take place at Elimination Chamber for the Diva's Title. Tamina booted Paige to the floor after a brief exchange. Back inside, she worked a neck vise as the Bellas are talking about last week's events. Paige fought back and got a rollup for two. She hits a few clotheslines and a dropkick then takes her out with a senton from the apron. Tamina cuts off Paige then distracts the ref, allowing Naomi to cheap shot Paige then she gets the win with the Samoan Drop. Tamina was dreadful in this match and wrestled like someone who does not belong on NXT TV, nevermind the WWE. The Bellas were grating on commentary as they rambled on throughout the match.



The New Day head out to the ring before the break.



Back from break, the New Day tell us that they are being persecuted against for being positive as they are forced to defend against five other teams inside of the Elimination Chamber. Big E riled up the crowd by dissing the New York Islanders. The crowd starts a "New Day Sucks" chant until Kane interrupts. He tells them they have a 1 in 6 chance of winning so that is fair but what is not fair is the match tonight as they will be facing the other five teams in the EC Match



New Day d Tyson Kidd & Cesaro w/ Natalya & Prime Time Players & Los Matadores & Ascension & Lucha Dragons by DQ (0:49). 

The match started during the break. Xavier hit Kalisto with a clothesline then taunted the other teams, who all ran into the ring and that triggered a brawl that saw everyone attack each other until the New Day were the last team standing. However, Kidd broke that up with a springboard dropkick then Cesaro put Woods in the giant swing. They certainly made sure to have New Day and Kidd & Cesaro as the top teams in this match as the others all came off looking like spare parts.



A plug for the new Daniel Bryan DVD, including a sneak peak on the Network



Daniel Bryan will be a guest on Miz TV as part of the Elimination Chamber Kickoff Show.



Another replay, courtesy of YouTube, of Ambrose hitting the cameraman as we clearly see Rollins push him forward, putting him in danger.



The Authority come out to the ring as Stephanie tells us that the cameraman who got assaulted has triplets as she uses a lot of vague corporate terms to describe the situation as HHH tells us all Ambrose had to do was sign a contract. He is about to announce the title match plans but Roman Reigns'  music hits as he attacks Rollins but is soon outnumbered. As Reigns gets beaten down, Rollins puts the contract in his face then we hear sirens as a police wagon driven by Ambrose appears at ringside. Ambrose comes out with a pair of nightsticks as he runs into the ring and cleans house. Reigns grabs a nightstick from Rollins and beats him up with that then spears both members of J&J Security at the same time. Ambrose then stares down the Authority and Rollins, who are on the ramp, as Reigns hands him the contract that he signs then jaws with Rollins as the show goes off the air. A predictable and uninspiring ending to the show. Although I thought that Stephanie was entertaining.



Final Thoughts: Overall, this show was mediocre. It was nowhere near as good as the past few weeks. I understand that being on Memorial Day this show will not draw as high of a rating than normal so they are not going to pull out the big guns but the show-long Ambrose storyline was a really lame idea. It was nice to see him standing tall at the end but how they got there was not too exciting. I also thought they took a step back in building the tag team division as they made everyone but the New Day and Kidd & Cesaro look like scrubs here. And the Diva's Division is a trainwreck at the moment. The main storyline is a jumbled mess. There were some positives here as Rusev/Lana did good work and the Cena/Owens build has been fantastic. The Entourage stuff was harmless and inoffensive. Elimination Chamber should have a few decent matches on paper and I want to see how they can pull off the Tag Team Match and I think they did an okay job at building up that show tonight. I suspect that next Monday they start more angle advancement and planning than they did here.







Comments

  1. I think not having Neville in the EC IC title match letting alone win it is a mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think bringing back the EC for two secondary titles is a dumb idea, really.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why? The Elimination Chamber is associated with big matches, so this seems like a novel way to elevate the status of those titles to me, really.

    ReplyDelete
  4. There is some vailidity in that but they have made some of the competitors in these matches look like bums tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good riddance to Nassau crowds.. They always sat on their hands, even in the attitude era

    ReplyDelete
  6. Minor thing, but you mixed up Rosa Mendes with Alicia Fox in the Entourage segment. Alicia was there, Rosa wasn't.
    Lame show for the last one at NC.

    ReplyDelete
  7. They do that for every EC. Did you buy Chris Masters and Big Daddy V as legitimate threats?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree but since they are doing it, you should have the new guy who almost beat Cena win the title.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Just got back from the show. Before it started, Vince came out and thanked everyone for all the great shows at Nassau Coliseum. The dark match was Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. It was probably, sadly, the match of the night. This was my first live Raw of the three hour era. The amount of commercials is insane.

    I agree with the assertion that this was a mediocre show. The Zack Ryder stuff was fun as hell though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Aw. We were great at Summerslam 2002, dammit!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those were bad choices, to be sure. I'm good with Neville not being in the match as I'd like him to rack up more wins, but the EC idea is still pretty cool despite poor execution.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nah, that thing's just waiting for Finn Balor to take it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. "Maybe the charges were dropped when they saw the video on YouTube," says Michael Cole.
    "He stole a van, Maggle!" shouts JBL.

    Oh, whatever. I'm passed the point of caring whether or not a particular moment makes any sense.

    However, seconds later, when Kane grabs Ambrose to chokeslam him...and Ambrose does...well, frankly, nothing...and somehow gets out of the chokeslam. He then runs over to the ropes for no other possible reason except in order to do his "bounce off the second rope and come back" spot.

    It was awful.

    The crowd is behind Ambrose as a character (they sure liked him better than Reigns tonight, certainly) but somebody should give Ambrose better things to do...both out of the ring and, occasionally, in it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's true. It was loud for that show. I remember Raws there that were like a funeral as well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ambrose should be protected for the next few months but he won't. Would love to see Ambrose and lesnar. I think that could pop a buyrate.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think Sherri and Parker had a match. Then they split and he went off to manage the Amazing French Canadians.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think you're delusional if you think Brock/Ambrose can "pop a buyrate" no offense. I also don't think their styles would mesh.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have no idea why you think Neville is so much more deserving than any of the other guys. The guy has like zero character and the only time he's been near a mic he's performed badly. I think the guys they have in it are the guys that have been feuding and competing for it since Wrestlemania so I like that they're continuing that route.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wait a minute...were they French, or were they Canadians!?

    ReplyDelete
  20. '. Anyone see that picture of Bobby from the convention with Ted Dibiase and Roddy Piper that was posted recently? Man that was sad.'


    No I haven't....how bad?

    ReplyDelete
  21. "I have no idea why you think Neville is so much more deserving than any of the other guys."

    R-Truth. R-Truth is in the Chamber. Having said that, I'me okay with Neville not being in it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. There could be some interesting visuals with Ambrose throwing all of his "unorthodox" and "lunatic" offense at Brock, and Brock swatting him away like a fly, but overall I just don't see it being a GREAT match. The Ambrose vs. Heyman mic work in the buildup would be cool, though.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Count me as a guy who never saw anything in Ryder.

    With that said, I'm a business man. And as a business man I go with what the people want. They wanted Ryder. It's sad what happened. My only guess is two things. One that shouldn't matter (getting over on his own) and another that, some will disagree, should (his behavior on twitter, etc).

    I never saw the guy as main event level. Not everyone is, and that is okay. You need stars in the mid to upper midcard and he could've been.

    ReplyDelete
  24. He serves a roll though. Not everyone is going to be a star in the vain of an Austin or Hogan. He'll just never have the size or mic skills for it. But as a worker, he's damn good at what he does. Guys like him serve an important roll. They bring the match quality and moves to keep the fans inspired so to speak.

    Now I know people will bring up Bryan, whom I love (no homo....slight homo) but he's the exception to the rule. Look at the smaller guys that do get the chance at the main event. They tend not to be big draws. I feel fans just don't buy into them as the big dogs. As the guy chasing the big dog? Absolutely.

    Guys like Hogan, Cena, Rock they succeed because they seem bigger than life. Like superheroes come to life.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Masters. Now there's a guy deserving of a second chance.

    ReplyDelete
  26. The poor man looks like Large Marge from the first Pee-Wee Herman movie.


    .....have I just dated myself with that one?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yes.


    They were the Quebecers in WWE, so it kinda fit.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yeah I'm all for Neville having a role that role just shouldn't be the IC Champion. Any of the guys aside from R Truth that are in it would make a better champion. It is interesting how between KOTR and EC R Truth has made a sort of comeback. That guy was over as fuck in 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Technically I think it'd be his third chance but I always dug the guy.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wait a minute, WCW was seriously going to change Hulk's name to Hurricane Hogan? Wouldn't it have been a hell of a lot easier to just name him Terry Hogan since everybody knew that was his acting name anyway?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Ugh, Scott please don't remind me about the comic book dead zone during the 90's. Interesting about how when the wrestling industy got exteremely hot, the comic book industry colapsed. I remember buying an x-men comic in the 90's and the most exciting thing in the book was an advert for summerslam 1998 with Austin and Taker destroying NY city.

    ReplyDelete
  32. They're still depressed over John Spano lying to them 20 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I really don't believe the Hurricane Hogan gimmick. Nobody has ever said a word about it. Not Hogan, not the guys around him, not anybody not even in a "lulz WCW" type of way. He was going to be Hulk Hogan from day one anything to the contrary is non sense with zero evidence to back it up.

    ReplyDelete
  34. It would be his second second chance.

    ReplyDelete
  35. So they had a dual citizenship gimmick? That's surprisingly nuanced for WCW.

    ReplyDelete
  36. He totally has the tools to be a top babyface. All they would have to do is keep repeating the story of how he saved his mom from a burning house by uprooting a tree. That's an amazing true story that would make anyone cheer for the guy and make him a modern day Hulk Hogan so of course Jeff Jarrett will likely be stupid and book him as yet another generic heel.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I never understand the WWE. The last few weeks have been pretty decent, but this year they take a hot audience (at the beginning) and it's like they actively try to damn them down with seemingly never-ending talking segments - every one of which could easily have been cut in half and told the exact same story.


    Cena's is a case in point. He 'addressed' the duelling chants about four times in a row. Then seemed a bit confused when the fans wouldn't pick up the Fight Owens Fight chant he was desperately trying to force-feed them.

    And man, Wade Barrett must really have pissed someone off backstage at some point.

    ReplyDelete
  38. "He serves a roll though."

    It doesn't matter what he does during his side job as a waiter.

    ReplyDelete
  39. It would be his third. His first run as the Masterlock guy, then he was released he was rehired on redebuted in July of 2009. He had a string of good matches on Superstars. He was released for a second time in 2011 so if he got rehired it would be his third stint with the company.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Which would be his second Second Chance.

    ReplyDelete
  41. And if he worked in Kingsport, Tennessee, he would have to serve Beau James about 50 rolls, all smothered in sausage gravy.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Which would get all over the wrestling mat, causing the guys to botch twice as many spots.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Masters was quite the great babyface worker during his second run.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Neville was pretty solid as NXT Champ, so I'm fairly sure he could carry the IC Belt well.


    The problem - as ever - is the booking. Whoever wins will invariably fall into the ever-reliable "he's got the belt, so it doesn't matter if he loses every week" booking mentality.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Nothing so sinister. They just can't write and perform over 350 hours of compelling programming in a year.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Yeah, but they've got a shitload of talent - good talent, too. They could easily get another 5 minutes per match (at the very least) and take away 5 minutes of Cena saying the exact same thing four times in a row, y'know?

    ReplyDelete
  47. Dick Slater is the most wrassler' name ever.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Very. It was quite heartbreaking to see.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Scott, I think I vaguely remember Curtis Hughes and Junkyard Dog teaming in the early 1990s. It started after a match between the two when Dog headbutted Hughes, who still had his sunglasses on, which broke, and got glass in his eye. Dog stopped the match and helped him.

    ReplyDelete
  50. He probably jobs to the salad bar.

    ReplyDelete
  51. I think he could to. But as of right NOW is a different story.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Richard Blood would have been.

    ReplyDelete
  53. More than anything you just brought up one of the greatest movies ever.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I'd somehow never heard of that until ESPN "30 for 30" covered it. It's crazy to think somebody could actually get away with that for as long as he did.


    "Wait, the money order said thirty-five hundred? It was supposed to be thirty-five million! Aw, my bad, guys. I'll look into that..."

    ReplyDelete
  55. Macklin, Man Without FearMay 26, 2015 at 4:01 AM

    They were amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Or just pull a TNA and call him "Hogan".

    ReplyDelete
  57. If you haven't seen it, don't go looking for it like I did. Soul crushing.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 4:39 AM

    Are you sure there's zero evidence? Cause we all know how well you research these things.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 4:41 AM

    Glacier needs to properly freeze before he can come out. This is obvious.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Nah, what self respecting wrassler goes by Richard?


    "Dirty" Dick Slater was born to run county fairs and do crossover spots with Nascar guys.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Malenko can powerbomb Kidman because he made sure to double-underhook him first, which is Kidman's only weakness.

    Also, I'm super pumped that 1996 Nitro is continuing.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Another problem is if the guy had an important position on the card, he'd possibly be required to do more PR and things of that nature, and from what I've seen he's incapable of stringing a coherent sentence together

    ReplyDelete
  63. I don't like Ambrose. I really want to but I just don't buy his act at all

    ReplyDelete
  64. Jesus, I didn't even recognize Heenan. I say this with no snark or ill-intent, but the shape of his face looks photoshopped.

    ReplyDelete
  65. I'm not convinced Ryder ever learned how to work more than five minutes.

    If he has and, if there's still the investment in him doing so, he's still young enough that a lot could be done with him.

    The same, honestly, goes for Heath Slater. Both guys are in comedy/job roles, yet both get a pop every single time. I hope we see that day.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Meh. If he's not going to be winning it, showcasing him in a singles match may succeed even more in having him fresh in our minds, especially if Bo can have the kind of match with him they had in NXT.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I think he's self-deprecating style on the mic is just fine, actually. It's certainly different.

    ReplyDelete
  68. There's nothing funny about Dick Blood son!

    ReplyDelete
  69. That is truly the one thing they excel at right now...making good wrestlers look like bums.

    ReplyDelete
  70. He played a character named Hurricane in Thunder In Paradise so that is probably where the name came from

    ReplyDelete
  71. You are correct. It was at a house show here in Macon, Ga. The local news even showed footage of it, thinking it was a real injury.

    ReplyDelete
  72. It's super annoying that the only feud I feel really invested in, Cesaro/Kidd vs New Day got a tiny portion of this show. I guess they figure that match has the last amount of potential to draw. I wonder of the people paying for the network, if there's a high number of viewers interested in the tag story.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Having an Elimination Chamber for the secondary titles is a good idea. However, having it with two weeks notice is the bad idea.

    ReplyDelete
  74. That's 2 weeks more notice than they gave for the King of The Ring Tournament.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Doubtful...mostly b/c it gets a 49 second match on a 3 hour show though. They could do lot of things with those guys (and hopefully they do), but history has not shown a willingness to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  76. You would think the announcers and the writers would put more emphasis on Ryback never having won a title in the WWE. That should be the hook for the Intercontinental Elimination Chamber match.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Sounds like a looooooooot of talking on that show.One to watch on triple speed

    ReplyDelete
  78. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 6:22 AM

    That's how I watched it last night. Had the basketball game on, got to 10pm, watched two hours on fast forward for 30 minutes, went to sleep at 10:30, missed the rest. It was pretty uneventful from what I saw of it.

    ReplyDelete
  79. The difference being that the King of the Ring was more like an edition of Main Event while the Elimination Chamber is a "special event."

    ReplyDelete
  80. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 6:27 AM

    *whoosh* Ya dig?

    ReplyDelete
  81. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 6:29 AM

    If you think about it, Cena's US title is now like WCW's TV title. It's defended every week on TV.


    That seems like an interesting thing, but I could also be supremely bored right now.

    ReplyDelete
  82. You might think he's saying the same thing four times in a row or you may be awed by a modern day Shakespeare, but cena's just damn glad you have an opinion

    ReplyDelete
  83. Memphis had a jobber tag team called Rough & Ready and, much like Fire & Ice, their names were actually Rough & Ready.

    ReplyDelete
  84. The only thing that could make the main event angle interesting is if Reigns turns heel on Ambrose out of jealousy.


    Also, how does no one at this company understand that the Bellas are unable to speak properly or coherently?

    ReplyDelete
  85. No, they had a "we'really from the province of Canada where everyone speaks French" gimmick.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Yeah they had a match at WWIII that year. Harlem Heat beat the French Canadians so that Sherri could get 5 minutes with Parker.

    ReplyDelete
  87. "There's Hogan in the back! What is he doing here, Brain?"

    ReplyDelete
  88. They were known as Cat and Dog. Yes, for real.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 7:01 AM

    Yep -- looks like it was going to be a tie-in to his TV show.

    ReplyDelete
  90. I have never heard of the "Hurricane" Hogan thing. I'm not saying it's not true, but this is the first I heard of it.

    It's bullshit that Marvel gets paid for it anyway. That's Vince Sr.'s fault for billing him as "The Incredible Hulk Hogan". The combination is what put it in a grey area.

    I do remember right around Hogan's Hall of Fame induction WWE kept referring to him as "Hollywood Hogan."

    Anyway, "Hollywood" was such a great heel name for him, especially since his movies were all awful.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 7:05 AM

    It was cool that Owens did the sneak attack deal to Cena, but they literally had him do the exact same thing he did the week before. Pop-up Powerbomb, foot on the belt. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just weird that it was the same thing I guess.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Hey, some food for thought: if Time Warner bought Marvel it would've ended up owning both DC and Marvel.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 7:08 AM

    At this rate, global warming is going to take over and melt Glacier before he shows up.

    ReplyDelete
  94. maybe Jamie Kellner would've killed it off

    ReplyDelete
  95. I just read something on a forum where apparently they started "subtlely" refferring to him as Hurricane Hogan on some promos when he very first signed with WCW. I have that stuff on my PC I'll have to check it out when i get home

    ReplyDelete
  96. Um, No Holds Barred is a cinematic masterpiece!

    "Doo-ky...."

    ReplyDelete
  97. Oh, you mean Johnny Rough and Stevie Ready?

    ReplyDelete
  98. Let us know if anything comes up. It would be a historical curiosity, if nothing else.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Zeb Colter doesn't believe in global warming. WE THE PEOPLE!

    ReplyDelete
  100. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 7:12 AM

    I'm sorry that Zeb is a knucklehead.

    ReplyDelete
  101. That's why I think that Marvel Studios is eventually going to suck. If there's anything Marvel does, it's do things to excess. It almost killed the comic book industry in the 90s.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Well they only have a movie coming out every month for the next 5 years so no reason to panic just yet

    ReplyDelete
  103. That payback smark rant isnt writing itself scott!

    ReplyDelete
  104. Disney buying DC is more likely.

    ReplyDelete
  105. US Title > WWE Title at this current point.

    ReplyDelete
  106. But we're talking about 1996. Marvel was borderline worthless back then. The whole reason Marvel started selling off its movie rights (which created the current Disney/Sony/Fox/Universal quagmire today) was because Marvel would've been bankrupt if it didn't.

    And if you think Warner Bros. would ever sell DC now, you're nuts. Batman alone is a gigantic cash cow.

    ReplyDelete
  107. That seems to be the formula with most feuds - establish beef, then repeat the same sneak attack/DQ run-in every week till PPV.


    People blame the lack of creativity on them having 30 hours to fill, but surely that gives them MORE time to try different things??

    ReplyDelete
  108. I've also never heard of the Hurricane Hogan thing

    ReplyDelete
  109. Are you being purposely dense or do you seriously not know what a "French-Canadian" is?

    ReplyDelete
  110. AverageJoeEverymanMay 26, 2015 at 7:38 AM

    he should carry an uprooted tree to the ring and yell "HOOOOOOOOOO!!", stick his thumb in the air and call everybody "TOUGH GUY"

    ReplyDelete
  111. Never thought I would see the day...

    ReplyDelete
  112. It was only for a week when he first signed with WCW and they'd use the "Hurricane" Hogan name when referring to him signing. Once he actually showed up it was never mentioned again.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Thunder in Paradise ended in November 1994, so by July 1994 WCW was likely well aware that it was canceled. I'd say that put the kibosh on any "Hurricane" Hogan ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  114. "anything to the contrary is non sense with zero evidence to back it up."

    It's a damn fine way to end a comment. I'm definitely gonna steal it

    ReplyDelete
  115. Gotta fill 3 hours with something.

    ReplyDelete
  116. STAND BACK! There's a Hurricane Hogan coming through!

    ReplyDelete
  117. Throwing it in without reading the comments but JYD and Big Cat did team for a blink of an eye in July or August 92. I don't remember an explanation as to why he was no longer Mr Hughes but it had something to do with Hughes nearly getting blinded after his glasses shattered in his eye and JYD helping him. I don't think they teamed on TV but they got a little bit of promo time.

    ReplyDelete
  118. I thought you meant current day.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Nope. My comment was in past tense and refers to Scott's comments in the rant about Turner buying Marvel in 1996 to avoid the "Hulk Hogan" problem.

    ReplyDelete
  120. DC's distribution rights were almost sold to Marvel in the early 80s, before the Crisis revived the company. THAT would have been weird.

    ReplyDelete
  121. The Incredible Hulk Hogan is a grey area?

    ReplyDelete
  122. Yes, because Marvel owns the rights to the phrase "The Incredible Hulk".

    ReplyDelete
  123. original name for Mankind? Bat Mankind. True story.

    ReplyDelete
  124. I don't think you understand what a grey area is.

    ReplyDelete
  125. God, was Norton's AWA gimmick really just that he hella loved pancakes? I mean we can all relate, but jeez. Must be a Minnesota thing.

    ReplyDelete
  126. He said on Cabana's podcast that he hated it and thought it was terrible.

    ReplyDelete
  127. In the 1950s Independent News (which owned DC Comics) also distributed Marvel Comics. Because of this, Marvel was limited to eight books a month. That's why a lot of early Marvel titles were bi-monthly so Marvel could put out sixteen books total:

    From your buddy Brian Cronin:
    https://books.google.com/books?id=SFgiXbVykSIC&pg=PT148&lpg=PT148&dq=%22marvel%22+%22independent+news%22+%22cadence+industries%22+%22atlas%22&source=bl&ots=M8bGvuOGKu&sig=WtRxZBPVoBH2VfOUGVKnQ5Y3hvI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zX1kVcK9Csr3yQS_1oCgDg&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22marvel%22%20%22independent%20news%22%20%22cadence%20industries%22%20%22atlas%22&f=false

    ReplyDelete
  128. Could you picture Hogan trying to perform the Vertebreaker?

    ReplyDelete
  129. Ah you beat me to it. Posted the same thing a few hours after you.

    ReplyDelete
  130. "Why was WCW in 1990 so retarded that they never teamed up Curtis “Big Cat” Hughes with the Junkyard Dog? They could have been The Big Lazy Black Guys!"



    I can smell the hate mail from here.

    ReplyDelete
  131. He's the grey Hulk.

    ReplyDelete
  132. You sure do enjoy pretending to be an authority whose opinion should be treated as canon! http://forum.wrestlingfigs.com/thread/196958/hulk-hogan
    http://www.infinitecore.ca/superstar/index.php?threadid=43319



    That's just from spending 15 seconds on one page of a single Google search.

    ReplyDelete
  133. "A Vertebreaker is what happened to my back after I slammed the 700 pound Andre the Giant in front of 102,000 at the Superdome at WrestleMania III! I was in traction for six months, brother. Poor Andre died a few days later."

    ReplyDelete
  134. Perhaps the AWA on ESPN (from coast to coast, and border to border, oh, sorry) was sponsored by IHOP. OK, maybe not.

    ReplyDelete
  135. Sure I do. Same reason why the Mets can refer to Matt Harvey as "The Dark Knight" but not sell merchandise directly connecting him with Batman trademarks.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Still a better poster than Marv.

    ReplyDelete
  137. Matt Harvey's nickname is The Dark Knight. Its not his character's name. Do you think they could just introduce Randy Poffo as 'The Amazing Spider-Man Savage' and it'd be okay?

    ReplyDelete
  138. "In fact I wouldn’t be shocked if Disney bought WWE one day and added them to their IP empire."


    The PG-era at its peak, ladies and gentlemen! Can you imagine the grudge match between Mickey and Goofy?

    ReplyDelete
  139. Of course not. I'm not sure where your confusion lies.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Its not grey at all. Its about as black and white as you can get.

    ReplyDelete
  141. Using the word "Hulk" wouldn't have been an issue. It was the combination of "Incredible Hulk" that caused the issue.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Dick Blood!

    ReplyDelete
  143. Between stupid promos, exploding TVs, holograms, and mannequins, is there anyone in recent memory who has been handed as much garbage as Ambrose yet still stayed really popular with the fans?


    I wish Creative would change their policy a bit and let people who have an aptitude for it cut their own promos.

    ReplyDelete
  144. Not really. Hulk still would have been a copyright infringement, just not as blatant.

    ReplyDelete
  145. Hulk is a word in normal use. That's like saying WCW was in shaky legal standing because they called Chris Benoit "Wolverine" sometimes

    ReplyDelete
  146. That's why it would have been in a grey area. And Incredible Hulk Hogan isn't a grey area at all. You don't have much of a future in copyright law. Hint: Don't try and write a movie and name the lead character Silver Surfer Smith.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Global Warming is a myth. Thirty years ago it was about Global Freezing, and it is slowly going back to global freezing after years of this global warming bunk. Read a time magazine from 77, 87, 97, 07, and now and you will see what I mean.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!May 26, 2015 at 10:16 AM

    2.5/10.

    ReplyDelete
  149. Man that Hogan book is writing itself.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Hey Papa Shango, how is it going?

    ReplyDelete
  151. They mentioned Hulk Hogan to Flair, standing behind Steamboat, during a Superbrawl promo. I wished that Flair had stayed.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Love Mickey or hate Mickey, you've got to respect him

    ReplyDelete
  153. I never understood why Hogan got heat for that. That's how he knew him.

    ReplyDelete
  154. It really doesn't get to me because he seems happy. I mean the guy is blessed to be alive and he can still communicate in some fashion. It's sad -- but I'm just going to say God wants to know Bobby and that is why he is still here. Love Bobby.

    ReplyDelete
  155. I'm not sure where you are getting confused. The mayo is getting to your brain.

    ReplyDelete
  156. He always held down Donald and tried to kill his heat!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  157. I know he has the same issue that Roger Ebert did, and if nothing changed that's bad enough for me...

    ReplyDelete
  158. They weren't the Mounties, that's for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Was this from this weekend? I know Piper was at a comic con in Texas.

    ReplyDelete
  160. And roughly on the topic, screw the guys who made a t-shirt of how he looks now.

    ReplyDelete
  161. In before someone says "But they own Miramax, which has done violent independent movies!"

    ReplyDelete
  162. No...now him claiming to have invented it and taught it to Helms, that's another story.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Yes I remember that and him using it in interviews.

    ReplyDelete
  164. I know exactly where you are getting confused.

    ReplyDelete
  165. Not like the bible. That took a bunch of liars centuries to write.

    ReplyDelete
  166. But since Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, and the Hulk were riding out their contracts, they'd only get the West Coast Avengers and the New Mutants, who would get buried in every issue, and only get over when Batman swerved DC and became their leader. Because Batman must be in EVERYTHING.

    ReplyDelete
  167. And the only character they can write decent movies for.

    ReplyDelete
  168. He was a lumberjack...just trying to offer SOME logic to the character.

    ReplyDelete
  169. Blame Obama, then.

    ReplyDelete
  170. re: third paragraph, that's right, and if you have magazines from the time, they were airbrushing anything with the word "Hulk" in it from Hogan's person or merchandise in vintage photos, like old WWF logos.

    ReplyDelete
  171. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRysrnWZ1SI

    ReplyDelete
  172. Hogan's first two nWo promos (this one & at the Bash) are the two biggest money-making promos in the history of pro wrestling.


    Would have been interesting if the nWo stayed as true heels instead of the cool guys they became by early 1997.

    ReplyDelete
  173. Who was it that was constantly ranting that the whole promotion for Entourage was centered around Rousey? I finally saw the trailer and she's in it for like 2 seconds.

    ReplyDelete
  174. Two of those "decent (though still flawed) movies" made a billion dollars each at the box office. WB isn't worried.

    It's hard to judge whether or not WB can make good Wonder Woman or Aquaman or whatever movies since they haven't actually tried them yet. Obviously they fucked up Green Lantern, but that shouldn't be treated like the only example

    ReplyDelete
  175. Just make sure you put "non" and "sense" back together, so people don't think you're a total moron. I mean, lots of us will understand the tribute, but you don't want to give others the wrong impression.

    ReplyDelete
  176. You're talking sense here.

    ReplyDelete
  177. Fair enough about escaping the chokeslam, but I don't think it's odd for Ambrose to deliberately throw himself into the ropes to do a move he does every match. Yeah, it's a reactive move generally, but it's not like we're supposed to believe it happens accidentally.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Disney also made Dead Presidents and Blood In, Blood Out: Bound By Honor, both of which are way more risque than anything that was done in the Attitude Era. And that's not even taking Color Of Night into account.

    ReplyDelete
  179. WCW should have at least had the two feud. Cat vs. Dog is like the easiest idea in the world and WCW was so stupid they didn't even realize it.

    ReplyDelete
  180. WCW actually did that in their "Ultimate Guide" book in 2000.

    ReplyDelete
  181. I think I have two problems with it.

    One, it's a move that he now does every match. The first time I saw Ambrose do that spot, it was astonishing...and it was better integrated into the flow of the action. It seemed like a thing that you could only pull out every so often...because how often can that move make sense? Since then, he's done it in every single match...whether it makes sense or not.

    Two, it's a move that is designed to show that Ambrose is highly adaptive--you think you've thrown him out of the ring but instead he bounces from the second rope and is now hitting you...that's awesome. In this case, though, he somehow escaped the chokeslam...ran himself towards the ropes, did the bounce off the second rope thing...why? The only reason that I can come up with is "because he does that every match"--which, obviously, crushes my suspension of disbelief.

    Similarly, Orton's draping DDT and Rey Mysterio's 619 are just as ludicrous...but at least those moves are actually attack moves. Ambrose's rope bounce is just a transition. It's more glaringly off-putting to me when a transition move is forced into situations where it doesn't really fit...just to do it.

    (I guess that's three things that bothered me about it. I should really get out more, shouldn't I?)

    ReplyDelete
  182. "Austin 3:16" is up there, and MUCH higher overall, but only with time did it pay off. Hogan's were more instantaneous.

    ReplyDelete
  183. I love the little reports from back in the day about how annoyed Walt was that Donald was always more popular than Mickey. Sounds almost exactly like Vince's annoyances today.

    ReplyDelete
  184. I always thought "Assault" and "Battery" would be good names for mid-level tag guys.

    ReplyDelete
  185. Uh...that would be more "rightfully reactionary e-mail" more than hate mail, to be honest but I'm sure Scott meant no offense.

    ReplyDelete
  186. What up with dat, brother?!

    ReplyDelete
  187. I feel the same way about his ring work in general, and that move specifically.

    ReplyDelete
  188. I would agree with you, except R-Truth.

    ReplyDelete
  189. In fairness, I think Owens put his other foot on the belt. That makes all the difference!

    ReplyDelete
  190. I like Slater......a lot in fact. His size though will always hold him back.

    ReplyDelete
  191. ❖❖✔❖✔ $73.. per-hr @mi28//<-Make A huge profit just doing Simple Google Tasks....... Last saturday I got a great Alfa Romeo after I been earning $9498 this past four weeks and a little over 10k lass month . with-out a doubt this is the nicest-work Ive ever had . I actually started 4 months ago and pretty much immediately began to make more than $89.. per-hour . find out here now ->

    < Going Here you
    Can Find Out >,,

    ➨➨➨http://WorldStarHipHopRace.com/daystar/easy...

    <♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥>

    ReplyDelete
  192. I said something like this last night while watching the show

    ReplyDelete
  193. I was told that the fans hate Ambrose and the wwe ruined their chance to elevate him last year and they should just release him because he's a joke.

    You mean that's not true?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment