Holy shit, my sinuses finally un-swelled and my head no longer feels like someone is wrapping their belt around it, so let’s celebrate with another numbered list!
Scott,
Long time reader, occasional commenter, occasional e-mailer.
Questions :
1. Do you think Rick Martel gets his due as a performer? I seem to remember him succeeding on a number of levels :
(a) Lengthy reign as AWA champion, at the tail-end of the period when that actually meant something.
(b) Great success tagging in the WWF, with both Zenk and Santana. Over, and really brought scientific wrestling to the ‘Ricky Morton’ formula.
(c) Impressive (to me) old-school heel run as ‘The Model’, as long as we discard the blindfold match.
(d) Jaw-dropping (and unfortunately cut short) run in WCW at the TV title level. Absolutely loved his matches here.
2. Who do you think would have been a bigger star if not for tragic events : Magnum T.A. or Owen Hart?
3. Did you ever do a rant for “Ringmasters. The Great American Bash”? I loved that VHS tape as a kid.
4. What could have been done to save Warrior and Sting’s aborted runs as babyface champions? Was it just bad booking?
1. I think he gets his due for the most part. He made his money and got out at the right time, and he was basically a solid midcard guy who had good matches and put people over. He’s not HOF-worthy or anything, but I think people have the right amount of nostalgic appreciation for him. Plus his run as the Model was some really epic dogging it on his part for a long time there. It was only during the brief Michaels feud that he really came to life again.
2. Magnum would have certainly got the NWA World title by 1988 without the accident. I’d argue he’s already the bigger star even with his career getting cut short, if you discount the infamy Owen gained for dying. Plus TA was juiced in as Dusty’s guy and would have got a free ride for as long as he stuck around, ala Barry Windham, and probably would have ended up with a good WWE run, too. Plus he was oozing charisma and Vince could have found a character for him ala Razor Ramon to hide whatever deficiencies he had in the ring.
3. No, but I just looked it up on YouTube and it’s only 30 minutes long. So here it is:
4. Warrior’s problem was Hogan sticking around and Hogan-ing up the main events so that no one else could get over as a top guy. Sting’s problem was a total lack of interesting heels to feud with once he had actually won the title. Really, they had Sid and then nothing. Probably should have kept Lex Luger as a heel and built to that for Starrcade.
Warrior should have kept the title until SummerSlam 91, dropping it to Hogan.
ReplyDeleteMagnum's car accident was in 1986...which I think was right around the time JCP started it's big national push. But he and Dusty were the top two babyfaces at the time. But he was gone by the time a lot us discovered the JCP programs, so we don't really appreciate how a big a star he was at the time.
ReplyDeleteOwen of course had more exposure at a national level, and guys who worked in the WWF are for the most part more well known than guys who haven't. So in that sense you could argue that Owen was a bigger 'star' - but then you could make that same argument about lots of WWF guys.
As much as I loved Owen, he was never going to be any bigger than he was. I mean, do people think he would have won a couple WWE titles had he not died? No way. I doubt he still would have even been in the business much longer anyway.
ReplyDeleteNot hard to imagine Owen Hart getting the lifetime achievement award title win at 20 instead of Benoit.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't see that happening, and I seriously doubt Owen would have been in the WWE by then.
ReplyDeleteLike Bret, I think he was very uncomfortable with the Attitude Era.
ReplyDeleteBut he was in a mid-card (or upper mid-card) tag-team with Jeff Jarrett of all people, and being asked to dress up as the Blue Blazer for laughs. He didn't really seem to be going anywhere. Magnum on the other hand had feuded with Flair, Tully, and Nikita: the top heels in the promotion at the time. He also was the tag-team partner of the top babyface (Dusty). He clearly was being groomed for a top spot, which you can't really say about Owen.
As much as I loved Owen, I don't think he ever had an "it" factor enough for a sustained main event run. Also, there's no way he'd ever get over so long as the Clique (Triple H and company and that point) was around.
ReplyDelete/threadjack
ReplyDeleteJust found out Jessie Sorenson is wrestling again. Debuting for ROH on the 26th
http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/2013/oct/26/glory-honor-xii-102613-chicago-ridge-il
I remember reading some bullshit rumor that "The Game" gimmick was going to be given to Owen.
ReplyDeleteVery hard to imagine.
ReplyDeleteSo Warrior not being as over as Hogan is Hogan's fault?
ReplyDeleteHow? If he stayed in the business, he would have been tearing down the house with Jericho, Angle, and all the other great workers around that time. And he was always going to be over.
ReplyDelete"...feels like someone is wrapping their TITLE around it."
ReplyDeleteFTFY, Scott, as per WWE recommendations.
Owen had prerty much reached his ceiling IMO. If he never got the main event push after his Bret feud, he was never getting it. As good as he could be at times, he was slumming around with The Nation and as the Blue Blazer before his death. Not exactly an upward main even trajectory.
ReplyDeleteBut he didn't want to stay in the business and never had the passion or desire needed to be a world champion.
ReplyDelete" never had the passion or desire needed to be a world champion."
ReplyDeleteIt's a work dude.
No.4 sure sounds like someone who's name rhymes with bena
ReplyDeleteTHIS. If Owen would have made it just one more year, he would have had a career revival with the newer high impact style that got implemented.
ReplyDeleteYou still have to want to be the focus of the company.
ReplyDeleteYea, but being world champion involves a lot more than just working matches, dude. Read Broken Harts. Owen just wanted to work his matches and go home.
ReplyDeleteBeing a main eventer and world champion requires more responsibility, look what happened to Eddie Guerrero.
He was a big Motörhead fan.
ReplyDeleteExactly what I was thinking. Owen was a big influence on the WWE's '98 rookie class (Edge, Christian, Venis, Hardyz, etc.) and on the guys who left WCW in '99-'00 (Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero). It's not hard to imagine him sticking around the midcard and having fun working with his friends and with guys who idolized him.
ReplyDeleteBenoit wasn't the focus of the company when he was champion. Neither was Guerrero. You're generally right but there are exceptions.
ReplyDeleteEddie was absolutely the focus of the Smackdown brand, which is why they took the belt off of him. He couldn't deal with it
ReplyDeleteWe'll never know but my point is that if he stuck around, he would have had the same career path as a lot of guys that ended up champ.
ReplyDeleteGood thing I said company and not the B show.
ReplyDeleteThey both wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteHey Owen! Want the belt?
Nah.
Fuck you, put it on.
But your point isn't based on any evidence or fact. Read Martha Hart's book, Owen never really wanted to be champion or the center of the company. He wanted to get out of wrestling not be further in wrestling.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't really help your point at all. Eddie was the face of one of their touring brands, the man designed to sell tickets to a show.
ReplyDeleteHey Owen, want to wear this harness?
ReplyDeleteNah.
Fuck you, put it on.
Smackdown was the B touring brand too. That is like saying the IC champ back in the day was the focus of the company.
ReplyDeleteAs weird as it is to compare the two, Punk and Warrior were in very similar situations.
ReplyDeleteAgain, not the same thing. You're totally downplaying Eddie's reign in an attempt to make a point about Owen that wasn't true. Was the I-C championshio main eventing and the selling point of PPVs too?
ReplyDelete" He wanted to get out of wrestling"
ReplyDeleteA line repeated by every wrestler ever and accomplished by few of them.
Magnum really missed out on a lot. After JCP bought the UWF, they really started to pick up with the influx of talent. Magnum could have had some great feuds lined up with the likes of Eddie Gilbert and a couple other guys..
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about the accident in the paper and seeing the way that car was totaled. He was lucky to be alive..
Most wrestlers don't actively apply for other work while still in wrestling.
ReplyDeleteIC champs were main eventing house shows back in the day. Smackdown is the modern day equivalent. Always has been.
ReplyDeleteSmackdown had its own PPVs.
ReplyDeleteActually, most jobbers do have second jobs.
ReplyDeleteYes, because Owen was a jobber.
ReplyDeleteThat were terrible.
ReplyDeleteBefore turning heel on his brother he was.
ReplyDeleteSome of them were really good. Vengeance 2003 might be one of the best PPVs the company ever did.
ReplyDeleteYea, and even after becoming a name in WWE, he still actively wanted out of wrestling because he wanted to be closer to his family. He was never going to be world champion.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but completely irrelevant to the point
ReplyDeleteThey weren't the focus, but they wanted to be. Dougie didn't say the champ is always the focus of the company. He said they have to want to be. There's a difference.
ReplyDeleteThey were terrible because they were promoted on the B show and were B PPVs.
ReplyDeleteThey were decent shows. Some of them were awful, you had some definite standouts.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't really help your case.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted out originally because he was floundering and Bret convinced him to stay and got him the big angle. Never know if something comes along before his contract runs out that convinces him to keep going.
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone was World champ when they created the two titles. Dude is a legit hall of famer, if he sticks it out, he gets one of them at some point.
But he didn't want to stick it out, that's the point. Some wrestlers are just meant to be in the midcard and occasionally are on called upon for a big spot. That was Owen.
ReplyDeleteHe was never going to be a world champion. Also define legit Hall of Famer. WWE HOF? Sure. WON Hall of Fame? No
That is also the description of a ton of world champions.
ReplyDeleteYea, and Owen would not have made it that long. That's the point. He was never going to be a world champion.
ReplyDeleteTo me the big problem with Warrior's title reign was not having any hot heels ready for him to feud with coming out of Mania.
ReplyDeleteRude at that point was still kind of a joke, PLUS Warrior had just feuded with/beaten him the year before. And after that, he was touring in 6-man tags against Demolition. For your new champ that's fucking death. For Warrior to have had a chance they needed to have either given him the Earthquake feud or done something big like turned Piper heel on him. Or just have had Savage go over Dusty at Mania 6 and go right into the Warrior-Savage feud.
And yeah, as for Sting he should have beaten Flair in a rematch, cleanly beaten Sid, and then feuded with heel Luger. Would have given him more of a chance to draw than the whole Black Scorpion bullshit.
The Earthquake feud would have helped but I don't think it would have improved business THAT much. Part of what made Hogan/Quake successful was that they did the big stretcher angle and they wouldn't have done that to Warrior two months after he won the title.
ReplyDeleteA heel Piper might have been for the best as it would have definitely been a (logical) shocker and could have produced some memorable stuff.
yea
ReplyDeleteIn a (re)match... MADE IN HELL
ReplyDeleteAlso, there's no way he'd ever get over so long as the Clique (Triple H and company and that point) was around.
ReplyDeleteIf he never had the "it" factor to begin with then what's the problem?
Thanks for taking my e-mail.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched the Youtube clip (at work) but I remember the Ringmasters tape being at least 60-75 mins long. It included (clipped) matches of :
A six man with Sam Houston, Manny Fernandez and Buzz Tyler vs Superstar Graham, Abdullah and 1 other.
Ron Bass vs Buddy Landell
Road Warriors vs Ivan Koloff / K Khruschev
Arn / Old Anderson vs Buzz Sawyer and (someone)
Tully Blanchard vs Dusty Rhodes (cage)
Magnum TA vs Kamala
Boogie Woogie Man vs Paul Jones.
Ric Flair vs Nikita Koloff.
For years in Australia it was the only non-WWF footage we ever had.
What makes Owen's death even more horribly tragic and ironic was that the Blue Blazer gimmick was actually starting to get really over, even to the point where he was getting pops from smarkier crowds. Owen as a goofy would-be superhero could've easily been turned into a face gimmick (a la Hurricane Helms) and we already know he was being given the IC title that sad night. Owen as a face feuding against Jarrett all summer would've been fun, as Jarrett would've been increasingly annoyed and jealous at his partner's title reign...especially when Owen still claimed to not be the Blazer.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem Warrior had was that his main opponent was RICK RUDE. No disrespect to a solid worker, but Rude in the WWF had nowhere near the credibility required to feud with the World Champion, ESPECIALLY since he's just jobbed to the guy on a public stage THE YEAR PRIOR. Just because he was one of the few guys who could work well enough with Warrior didn't mean he should be challenging him as a full-time job. They should have probably used Savage or somebody in that role, or at least built up a big new Monster Heel for Warrior.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Hogan was still doing The Hogan Formula with Earthquake didn't help.
Martel is a legitimately good talent who just TOTALLY half-assed his run as The Model, as Scott said. Now, they could have given him something better to do for a gimmick, but the fact remains that he failed to really stand out at the time.
Hah, I made the same points before looking down and finding your post. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteMaybe still do the Stretcher Angle and THEN have Warrior feud with Quake? Hogan can take some time off, and feud with Earthquake AFTER Warrior is done with him.
ReplyDeleteOwen was also a pretty funny-looking dude, so I don't imagine him ever getting a BIG run. When DX cut his balls off as soon as he started getting over, I think he was done. Austin refusing to work with him was just icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad too, because if Owen had possessed the desire to be the best that other Main Eventers have had, or had the ego of a Bret or Flair to HAVE TO be the best, then I would say that he would be the greatest worker of all time. I mean, he was AMAZING, yet hardly ever acted like he was giving it HIS ALL. I can't fault the guy for not giving that much of a shit about wrestling and wanting to do other work, however. It's just a shame all-around.
The World Champs have generally been crazy workaholics or egomaniacs who REALLY wanted the Title, or the credibility that came with it. Vince certainly appreciates that kind of stuff, and Owen pretty clearly was never that obsessive about going over. I seriously doubt Vince would ever have given a World Title run to somebody who didn't appear that passionate about it.
ReplyDeleteDidn't he want to be a fireman, not a wrestler, but Bret talked him into THIS BUSINESS because it was better money?
ReplyDeletePorsche 911s aren't exactly known for their crash ratings...
ReplyDeleteMagnum by a long shot. That's not a shot at Owen's talent either. But when Magnum got injured he was on his way to the top. When Owen died he was already a seasoned veteran and his best days were behind him. The Bret feud in 1994 or the US-Hart Foundation in 1997 were his apex. He was still talented and entertaining in 1999 but it was clear that he wasn't going any higher.
ReplyDeleteIf Magnum doesn't get hurt he, at worst, main events Starrcade and takes the title from Flair.
I don't know if anyone in WWE is pissed at him or anything, but I think Martel should be in the hall.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just the mystique of that which never was, but it really seems like Magnum was the complete package in terms of someone who could hold down the top face spot for Crockett (and later WCW). He had the look that Dusty was missing; the work-rate that Luger was lacking; the commitment Steamboat didn't want to make; and the champion demeanor that Sting couldn't quite master (that trait that made Sting a better chaser than title-holder). I don't think he could have eclipsed Hulkamania, but he would have been a cool, gritty alternative. I think Magnum could have held the spot for sure, but the question is whether Flair would have actually stepped out of the title picture for any period of time and whether Crockett would have adopted the WWF's face champ model over their historic heel champ alternative. No way of ever knowing of course, but it opens the door for some fascinating speculation.
ReplyDeleteWould it have been too much to ask for the NWA territories to switch their formulas for a year-long Magnum TA title reign? Instead of lining up their top face to get a shot against the heel champ (Flair) when he came through their cities, instead have the territory's top heel cheat or maneuver his way into getting the NWA title shot instead.
ReplyDeleteMagnum comes to town, beats the heel down, heel's manager runs in for the DQ or attempted weapon attack, top face runs in to break it up, he and Magnum clean house to the cheers of a roaring crowd. Magnum puts the local top face over as a tough guy and "I'll be back here sooner rather than later to give you your rightful shot." Rinse repeat in territories all across the country.
Owen gets the Kennedy/Cobain treatment. Remembered posthumously as something he wasn't when he was alive. Owen was a mid card guy that you could put in the main event for a month if need be. That was his ceiling. He honestly wasn't much better than that.
ReplyDeletePeople saying he could have been "the greatest worker ever" or a multiple time WWE champion are letting the nostalgia get in the way. He was great in the ring, sure. But he was a terrible promo unless he was being a goof.
I liked Owen, but stop the charade.
Shawn Fena? What does he have to do with this?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I agree with this persay, howerever I will give you an example. We were talking about rap and my utter hatred for Kanye West at work the other day. Somehow DMX came up, I mentioned that if DMX had been killed in 2000-01 he would be remembered in the same vein as 2pac and Biggie. Death can certainly bestow legend status upon some.
ReplyDeleteI think with Owen he would have been able to do some amazing things when the Radicalz came over in 2000.
By 87 or 88, the NWA territories were dead. They all had sold out to Vince, sold out to Crockett, or left the NWA to try to survive on their own.
ReplyDeleteI will say not fully, but Hogan damn sure didn't help.
ReplyDeleteIC Champs (Savage and Honky come to mind) could sell out pretty damn big arenas on their own, WITHOUT Hogan.
ReplyDeleteSo comparing the top guy on Smackdown in the Raw/Smackdown era to the 80's IC champ is pretty damn accurate.
Another reason I don't think Owen ever makes it to being the champ and having any kind of real run at the top: Vince wasn't going to forgive him for breaking Austin's neck.
ReplyDeleteNor was Austin going to forgive. Didn't he veto an Owen program shortly before that fateful night?
ReplyDelete1: Martel's good, even very good... but not great. His AWA run was quite unimpressive, and he was never higher than ICish level in the WWF. His last WCW run, with its good matches, wasn't getting him higher than the TV title.
ReplyDelete2: Magnum wins multiple World titles, and Luger/Sting don't get anywhere near the levels they did. (Flair never puts Sting over at Clash 1, for example.) Owen either works out his contract, and heads out of wrestling, or winds up quitting over an even dumber, more dangerous idea. So yeah, Magnum.
3: Has Scott done any of the pre-PPV Bashes? I'll have to check my old rant collection.
4: Better heel options for both. In Sting's case, better bookers also. In Warrior's case, Hogan taking a real vacation also.
I don't know about that, nor where they would fit it in given the two's relative card positions and all. I sort of remember hearing that Austin didn't want to continue the IC title feud with him after Survivor Series 1997 though.
ReplyDeletePhysically, Owen was a shell of his former self by the time he died. People forget that.
ReplyDeleteYeah, if it were my HOF, Martel doesn't pass the test. He's one of my favorites, too. I marked out when he randomly showed up in WCW. If you take away his AWA time, which I agree was unimpressive, he is basically Bob Holly (a comparison I made before). He's a guy you can put in a solid midcard feud with anyone, and he'll give you good matches.
ReplyDeleteShould Hogan have killed himself out of shame? Would that be putting him over enough?
ReplyDeleteWarrior had been booked so strongly and just beat Hogan clean. He didn't have a credible heel challenger, really. He wiped the floor with Rude pretty recently, DiBiase wasn't built as a threat, and Warrior had been booked as unstoppable. Throw in Hogan being Hogan, and that run had failure written all over it.
ReplyDeleteSting, to me, was always the unfortunate and goofy babyface you paid money to watch him chase the bad guy for the belt. He was uninteresting otherwise.
Didn't Hogan miss most of the spring and summer in 90 with the "injury." Warrior had almost 4 months to himself, (Get Well Hulk friendship bracelets non withstanding)
ReplyDeleteScott if you are having sinus issues I have generally found that painkillers and vodka are pretty effective, (or if you can't score painkillers, just more vodka.)
ReplyDeleteThis is actually really smart. I'm sure Hogan wouldn't be thrilled with Warrior coming off as the guy needed to save him, but that's a smart storyline.
ReplyDeleteVodka. Hell yeah. Just make sure it's a decent vodka. A crappy, cheap brand will provide a horrible hangove.
ReplyDeleteHe may not have been in the ring, but he was still front and center with the injury.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly similar, but that would be like a "Get well soon Cena" segment on every hour of each week's RAW now... well, before last week at least.
Don't tempt me, you simpleton.
ReplyDeleteTrue story...last year I drove up to my parents in Jersey for Christmas. I had a cold that day but I was feeling pretty good when i got up there so I had a fer drinks to unwind. Needless to say between the vodka and the fact that the heat was on all night I woke up the next day with my throat on fire and my head pounding. Went to the medicine closet to look for day-quill and instead found some painkillers from when my dad had surgery a few months prior. Looked at the painkillers and thought, "well my day just got a whole lot better." And it did
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that I am still disappointed I never procured a Hulk Friendship bracelet....so you know...if anyone on the blog has one...Christmas is coming up. Wait where was I? Ultimate who?
ReplyDeleteE-Bay comes up blank.
ReplyDelete..works for RytheMurph.
ReplyDeleteI never understood why they never gave Owen a shot as an agent being that he was so miserable with the actual wrestling part.
ReplyDeleteI believe Owen's wife says yes, but Austin says no.
ReplyDeleteIt's just another thing on top of the other issue.
ReplyDelete2Pac was overrated. Good at conveying emotion but lyrically the most notable thing he did was put "Hennessey", "Penitentiary" and "thug" in songs.
ReplyDeleteBig was a Pac clone but dies as he was starting to lyrically step his game up.
But the point is you tried. Much love to you man. :)
ReplyDeleteActually forget the bracelet. Do you guys think that Scott still has the Get Well Hulk sign that his dad made? That would totally go up on my wall.
ReplyDeleteI disagree TOTALLY.....2Pac wasnt overrated....2Pac was clearly at the top of the Rap game when he died. Biggie was good, but lets be realistic: he only put out 2 albums. I think Biggie DEFINITELY gets thie nostalgia rub from dying and being associated with the east coast-west coast beef.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with the DMX thing though. Had he died 10 yrs ago, he'd be a legend, instead of tripping acid and running around hotel rooms naked and such
Yes. From what I read in Martha's book, he liked not being a top guy and just dicking around the midcard because the top guys have more responsibility outside of wrestling. He just wanted to work his dates and go home to his family
ReplyDeleteAustin and Owen also personally didn't like each other.
ReplyDeleteNow that's just rude.
ReplyDeleteSo what exactly would you have done? Paid the biggest draw in the history of wrestling to sit at home for a year? Ask the biggest draw in wrestling history to sit at home for a year for free? You realize that whenever he comes back, his response is still going to make Warrior seem second rate right? Did you think this through at all?
Please try and respond without resorting to petty personal attacks.
I disagree, 2Pac is probably properly rated. He may not have been the best lyricist, but he had the voice and charisma.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a big Biggie fan, but I appreciated some of his stuff more over the years.
Martel was a much bigger star than Bob Holly.
ReplyDeleteI legitimately lol'd at this. Upvote.
ReplyDeleteBabydoll's reaction in that video to having to be with Dusty Rhodes for thirty days is the reaction of a woman who knows she's about to get her oil checked.
ReplyDeleteDisagree, I think even in death, nobody will give a shit about Ken Kennedy.
ReplyDeleteClobbering doesn't make the world work.
ReplyDeleteBrock Lesnar.
ReplyDeleteI think you're getting confused with a sunglasses-wielding Roddy Piper in 'They Live'
ReplyDeleteWho does he face at WM7? Macho?
ReplyDeleteThat'd work for me. Have him lose by Countout to Slaughter at the RR after Macho's interference goes wrong, and then do the same matches at WM7. But hopefully with more heat.
Warrior will have defeated the two biggest (face) champions of the WWF at back to back Wrestlemanias, even retiring one, before finally going down to the old lion in the form of Hogan.
Give him a soul-searching 'IS MY DESTRUCITY NOT TRUTHY ENOUGH!??' angle, have him disappear as before, then just replace him at WM8 with Kerry Von Erich as before.
"then just replace him at WM8 with Kerry von Erich as before." Well played, that got a hearty laugh from me.
ReplyDeleteThat line wasn't specifically aimed at you, but no, I don't really think Hogan needed to (literally or figuratively) kill himself to get Warrior over.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, Hogan getting a "vacation" lasting three or so months would've kept the spotlight on Warrior. Let Hogan say he's going back home to train more, to refocus himself after so long in the crosshairs.
Warrior gets the focus, and gets the same story arcs as Hogan. Instead of Rude being the first challenger out of thin air, let him lay Warrior out on a SNME, and make the challenge that way. Instead, we got "Oh, Rude beat Warrior once upon a time... oops, he lost again."
Make no mistake, business will drop w/o Hogan. No matter what else Hogan was, he WAS the WWF in the mid/late 80's. But as long as Warrior can sell out the key arenas, and get solid programs without Hulk's shadow looming right over his shoulder the whole time... he'll be good enough.
As far as when to take the belt off of him... Depends on who's getting the belt back. Hogan? WM VII, with a Warrior heel turn shortly after. (Run it face/face, and if Warrior leaves instead of turning, at least the belt's off him.) Savage? Rumble's fine, Sherri distracts Warrior, Savage nails Warrior with something large, new champ. Anyone else? SNME between Rumble and WM, only as a transition to Hogan at WM and hopefully Hogan/Warrior as a heel afterward.
You DO NOT run the Slaughter as an Iraqi angle... if you wanna run it run Slaughter/Sheik on the lower card instead.
In all honesty, there's not much you can do after Warrior/Hogan... but keeping Hogan in the spotlight hurts Warrior way too much.
Steve Lombardi and Patterson are still waiting for him to sign on the dotted line for their triple threat match.
ReplyDeleteWell, given the fact that there's no criteria for the WWE HoF other than "WWE officials currently likes the guy and is on good terms with him" you could go all sorts of ways.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand - Tito Santana and Koko B. Ware are in the HoF. If they're deserving then so is Martel. On the other hand, Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior aren't, and Bruno didn't get in last year. By that standard Martel isn't anywhere near deserving a HoF spot.
But...again there's absolutely no criteria other than "WWF officials like you" so who knows?
Hogan was already gone for months. Attendance dropped off. Was Hogan feuding with Earthquake when he returned any better than Warrior feuding with Rude?
ReplyDeleteIt comes down to this. Warrior wasn't the draw Hogan was. He was never going to be. He was also unreliable and weird and not well-liked backstage. What you got was the best you could've hoped for.
I just think it's sad that the Texas Tornado has proved to be such a homophobic guest speaker at universities. If he was ever called out as being anti-gay, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
ReplyDeleteLyraically? Name ONE verse 2Pac said that made you say, "rewind that." He was average on the mic.
ReplyDeleteProperly RATED?!?!?! They DEIFY that dude.
ReplyDeleteWe'll just agree to disagree.
The only deity is Rakim. I'm an underground person, so I like 2Pac's stuff, but hadn't bought an album after his first two.
ReplyDeleteThe entire first stanza of "Hit Em' Up" comes to mind immediately....greatest Diss Song Ever.
ReplyDeleteLesnar gets to be the exception because he was basically Vince's Wet Dream in a wrestler :). Otherwise you're totally right.
ReplyDeleteYou lay off Cobain.
ReplyDelete4 words:
ReplyDelete"No Vaseline". Ice Cube.