WWE Writes an Open Letter to Michael Sam
http://www.wwe.com/inside/michael-sam-open-letter-26619993
Zack Ryder Update
Ryder, who has been complaining lately about not even being brought to RAW tapings anymore, was brought in this week and used to job to Rusev.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
RF Video Films Shoot Interview with Eric Bischoff
The 5 hour shoot interview will go on sale later this week.
https://twitter.com/kfabe101/status/505769498377715713
http://www.wwe.com/inside/michael-sam-open-letter-26619993
Zack Ryder Update
Ryder, who has been complaining lately about not even being brought to RAW tapings anymore, was brought in this week and used to job to Rusev.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
RF Video Films Shoot Interview with Eric Bischoff
The 5 hour shoot interview will go on sale later this week.
https://twitter.com/kfabe101/status/505769498377715713
WWE stock is only down 0.23 this morning. We need to wait for ESPN to push the Michael Sam story into the public consciousness before WWE stock will take a dive.
ReplyDeleteHey, how bout that Raw last night, huh? Exotic Express? That bunny is going to get over eventually. At which point it will be promptly buried.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for Vince Jordan to praise the Bella segments. That guy can find silver linings in anything WWE-related!
ReplyDeleteThat's quite the letter. A whole paragraph!
ReplyDeleteWith this Sam nonsense repeating history WWE mocks with Bischoff calling out Vince, and the Bella trash... one of the worst days in a long time where I'm embarrassed to be a wrestling follower.
ReplyDeleteI got the impression the bunny is going to be influencing Rose to do bad things. He was looking pretty heelish last night.
ReplyDeleteTo show how much these stories interest me, I'll comment on all three in two... no, four... no, FIVE words:
ReplyDeleteI Don't Give A Fuck.
(Although I do have a slight curiosity on the Bischoff Shoot.)
I hope Zack learns something from this about standing up for himself and keeps raising his voice to get better and better treatment.
ReplyDeleteBrie Bella told me to praise these segments. But I never told anyone.
ReplyDeleteSlow Newz day
ReplyDeleteThat letter was signed by Stephanie McMahon, personally delivered by Pat Patterson and Darren Young licked the envelope.
ReplyDelete#FuckYouIThoughtItWasFunny
Brie stole my scooter and used it to ruin the lawn of a elderly neighbor who used political influence to have her unregistered lemonade stand shut down. I never told anyone.
ReplyDeleteI predict Michael Sam will be married on Raw until the preacher rips off his disguise and says "You only lasted in the NFL... for about THREE MINUTES!"
ReplyDeleteWWE: We need mainstream publicity, stat! Let's invite that gay NFL guy to RAW! That will get us on Entertainment Tonight for sure!
ReplyDeleteUs: You know, one of your former World champions is in the highest-grossing movie in the world right now, so maybe...
WWE: SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING GEEKS. And go buy the WWE Network, only $9.99!
Thought it was weird Ryder was on TV...
ReplyDeleteGoing to TNA? Nope, that won't work.
ReplyDeleteGoing to ROH? Christ, he'll be Matt Hardy 2.0.
Going to Japan? Nobody wants him, and he'd be Jobber Gaijin to... everyone?
Going Indy? Have fun.
The way he was drumming those stairs at Slater was crazy. VERY hellish.
ReplyDeleteI imagine it leads to a Rose vs Bunny feud which splits the exotic express and Rose goes into a rehab don't do drugs character who's found new purpose in life and is now a fitness instructor.
Marvel doesn't want WWE associated with GOTG. They're not to promote the movie there.
ReplyDelete"Go for that brass ring, boys. It's there for the taking. You just have to step up. Unless it's someone we don't like."
ReplyDeleteHas that been confirmed officially? I mean, is Marvel really all "eww, WWE cooties"?
ReplyDeleteIs this your way of agreeing with me or disagreeing with me? I am legit not sure.
ReplyDeleteFunny they try to get things over and when they do get over they get jobbed out.
ReplyDeleteIt shouldn't be this way... but it is... complaining until you get what you want is often the only way to succeed.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest takeaway was the last one and thinking "I hope Bayless reviews that"
ReplyDeleteIf WWE wants to bring in a guest speaker to discuss their coping with loss of job, give Del Rio an open mic.
ReplyDeleteSaw parts of it on Youtube. They were all put together, but they were basically 1 minute segments here and there? Seemed kind of harmless at worst, and funny in a car crash sort of way at its best.
ReplyDeleteI mean come on, it's a 3 hour show. There HAS to be filler. Can't just be back to back to back Iron Man matches every show.
What possible upside is there for Michael Sam here?
ReplyDeleteYep I know. I would put the chances of him accepting at around 0%.
ReplyDeleteWell, pal... we used you... and we wish you well in your future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteOr they could just use the segments building up non-useless characters.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with you, sometimes the sentiment on this board is absurdly negative with certain things, my problem with the Bella stuff is that it's SO terrible, it's hard to even get into it. The storyline itself independent of the performers is actually pretty interesting, but the Bellas are such bad actors, it's coming off horribly. I almost wish they would keep the Total Divas show in a different universe than Raw so the Bellas can do well in...whatever reality tv show is, and let better performers do wrestling angles....just my two cents
ReplyDeleteMind your manners and this conversation will stop amicably like you said you wanted it to.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I remember seeing him "debut" and thinking he was going to suck. I thought he was going to be another Brad Rheingans/Bob Backlund type babyface American flag waving kiss-ass. Boy, was I wrong. he excelled in every area.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell me what to do.
ReplyDeleteI am just telling you what the consequences of your actions are going to be.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done anything to be banned if what's you're insinuating.
ReplyDeleteFirst thing I think of is his song, "Medal".
ReplyDeleteI so badly want to hear that one last time in WWE.
Given how little WWE cares about continuity, it could be argued that they're trying to make stand-alone angles.
ReplyDeleteRumble 03
ReplyDeleteLOL no not all. But until you amicably exit this conversation like you said you wanted to I am going to keep pushing your buttons.
ReplyDeleteHe also failed to see how much the ECW fans didn't like or buy into Justin Credible at all and by Paul E's desire to "protect the lineage", he wound up pissing off a lot of the loyal fans in the process to the point of them no longer being paying customers.
ReplyDeleteARMBAR!!!
ReplyDeleteDX were important and big supporting characters in the Attitude era, there's no doubt about it. They helped close the midcard wrestling gap with WCW, as you could count on at least one HHH or X-Pac vs. one of the Nation to provide a good match on any given Raw. X-Pac's return was a big coup since he was the first major name to jump back to WWE.
ReplyDeleteWhile the commercial overstated things slightly and while Austin/McMahon was clearly the main reason WWE won the 'Monday Night Wars,' you can't deny that DX played an important role. If Austin/McMahon was Bryan Cranston as Walter White, then DX was Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman.
tl/shouldn't have written
ReplyDeleteLet’s say you wake up tomorrow and you’re shitting blood. And for the sake of argument lets assume that you don’t engage in social activities that would make shitting blood and everyday occurrence. So, you go to see your doctor. Bad news, you’ve got stage four rectal cancer. Once you get that far gone, there’s not much they can do for you except dope you up and wait to die.
You seem like a smart guy. You know that if you went in regularly and had a digital rectal exam they could have caught it at stage zero - you could’ve stopped it before the abnormal cells even became cancer. You knew that, but you MADE A DECISION to take a risk because you didn’t want a guy to stick a finger up your ass every few months. At least not during normal business hours. Because of your own actions (not seeing an ass doctor regularly) you CHOSE of your own free will to have an ass full of tumors. It was your own stupidity that got you to this point, so you deserve ZERO sympathy. Your cancer was your own fault. How could rectal cancer be a disease when you chose not to be screened regularly - you brought the whole thing on yourself! It was your decision. You asked for it.
But a mentally tough guy like you doesn’t pout. So you get in your car and drive home. It’s not your lucky day, because on the way back home a semi t-bones your car and it takes your head clean off. You knew that people could die in automobile accidents, but when you were 16 you made a choice to get a driver’s license anyway. You knew it was possible that you could get killed in a wreck, but you made the decision to ignore that. Not only that, you repeated the risky behavior and drove EVERYDAY, even though you knew that decision could kill you. Because of your repeated actions you made the decision to die in an automobile accident. How could you feel any sympathy for anyone who made that decision? It's what you wanted! Anyone who would choose to get in a car when they knew it could be dangerous is a loser! No one made them do it!
There’s a large logical fallacy here, and it’s a pretty big one.
People choose to drink and take drugs.
People choose to repeat those actions.
So people choose to be addicted.
You really don’t see the logic gap there?
There’s a difference between drug use and drug addiction.
Ever read much about what addiction is? It’s a brain disorder - a preventable brain disorder, granted, but most things that kill us are preventable too - it rewires the memory connections in your brain and those long term chemical changes make getting the drug you’re hooked on your primary, and sometimes only, way your brain can get dopamine. (there’s a lot more to it than that - chemically speaking, but that’s the cliff notes version) This isn’t a theory. So saying “an addict could choose to stop if he really wanted to” is simplistic and wrong. It’s not that simple.
The biomedical community (doctors, scientists etc…) considers addiction, in its essence, to be a brain disease: a condition caused by persistent changes in brain structure and function. You can disagree about it being a disease all you want, but unless you have a medical degree specializing in this subject that you’ve kept quiet about, your opinion doesn’t count. Theirs does.
PS- No one in my family is addicted to anything, as far as I know. I don’t drink or take drugs. So if you want to insult me for saying you’re wrong you’ll need to adjust your pithy retorts accordingly.
No kidding. This is where the 'money in the chase!' booking strategy backfires since ECW shot itself in the foot by never making Van Dam the champion.
ReplyDeleteNeither of your examples make any sense. Getting a checkup isn't designed to harm you, neither is driving a car. Alcohol, Tobacco, and narcotics are. I didn't bother wasting my time reading the rest since that was so inane. Come up with some better analogies and we can talk further.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that you think you understand. I never doubted that.
ReplyDeleteNice try. I am sorry you have concocted an argument that makes sense to your limited intellect and then, when it is shown to be incorrect aren't capable of adding anything further. I guess when you are wrong, and your one and only avenue of explaining yourself falls apart there is nothing to do but give up. That must get frustrating.
ReplyDeletePlus, this post got buried by about seven posts between 1-8am this morning
ReplyDeleteAnd Monday Night Football!
ReplyDeleteKeep making excuses... when my contract is up you are going to regret it.
I'm thinking the Biff "push" didn't help matters. Mixed messages?
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for the champ to comment but he has gone AWOL
ReplyDeleteOf course he has. Just like the comment total for BoD RAW under the last 2 champions!
ReplyDeleteYou know what this means......................................Gotta put the strap on myself
ReplyDeleteBK3 is a whole other character
ReplyDeleteWho is missing some teeth right now
ReplyDeleteThat wouldn't be in the best interest of BoD RAW... or of your health.
ReplyDeleteHim leading the 'USA' chant at the end of the live Smackdown right after 9/11. Yeah I'm a TOTAL Angle mark.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. It was totally my fault to try to engage you on a level that you weren't able to follow. I apologize, and in the future I'll do my best to remember not to do that again. And if I said anything that you understood and took offense at I apologize for that too.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right, I do feel frustrated trying to explain things to you. My girlfriend teaches kids with special needs, and I'll never understand how she has the patience to get through to them in a way they can understand. As you pointed out, it's clearly not a talent that I have.
Whatever. I pointed out how your analogies didn't work, you resorted to being a dick instead of explaining how they did (because you either weren't capable or saw that I was right) if you would like to continue the conversation and prove your points in a valid manner I am willing, otherwise we can keep insulting each other all day simply proves that while I have the superior point of view on the issue we are equal at throwing insults back and forth.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a Sociological experiment. Vapid & morally high-brow richer than all most middle-class nobodies have been preaching to world about how they are so selfless & politically correct and BETTER than normal people (Or atleast behave as such) - YET, they are not smart enough to know NOT to take nude pics of yourself in the digital age?
ReplyDeleteAs much of a violation as this is - No one put a gun to their head & made them pose nude. Hopefully this will open the flood gates and show women that's it no big deal to be naked - it's just a body.
- someone smarter than me.
Get a fucking grip on reality
I admitted that I was wrong to try to explain something to you. I don't know why you think that I would want to continue to make that mistake.
ReplyDeleteIf I've upset you, I apologize - again.
Yes! That was my first thought, too.
ReplyDeleteAgain. Your analogies don't work. I explained why, and you don't seem to get it... or you do get it and just don't want to admit your failing.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't get it I am willing to assist you... is there a word in there that is tripping you up? Because I will be happy to break it down into something simpler for you. What reading level are you on 1st grade? 2nd grade? There is nothing to be ashamed of here, reading comprehension is hard for some people.
That line was the moment where Angle learned his character. His 2000-2001 title run was a bomb and he figured out how to hit it out of the park in the match where he was supposed to drop the strap. Then he never quit being awesome until TNA and drug problems got in the way.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your need to lash out at people who've upset you. I know it's just a defense mechanism and I forgive you.
ReplyDeleteitd be interesting looking back (and going forward depending on when they play the episodes) to see how much this has affected Adult Swim's ratings.
ReplyDeleteYour analogies don't work. Defend them or you are admitting you aren't capable of defending your position.
ReplyDeleteBusiness will not pick up as long as that reprobate Jobber is the champ.
ReplyDeleteYou need a champ like me who will represent the people and treat them fairly and equi...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAaaaaaaaaa.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, Brian! My sides are splitting from the description of my quarterfinal match. I look forward to my semifinal match with the help of the Administration.
ReplyDeleteWith me as the focal point how could it NOT be?
ReplyDeleteHopefully they bring out his walking stereotype boyfriend as well. That will help the situation get really cringe worthy.
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S WHAT I DO!!!
ReplyDeleteI have no beef with you. I am sure if you had gotten to keep the strap you would have drawn better than these 2... but I am the only one that can SAVE the BoD universe!
ReplyDelete"Order the WWE Network to "possibly" see naked Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton nude photos!"
ReplyDelete(cuts a promo on Andy) Showing you got guts is one thing, but showing you have more guts than brains is quite another. The Administration, and more importantly, Rock Star Gary, will lower the BOOM on you on my way to the finals. You can try as hard as you like, but the Administration along with Rock Star Gary will be too much for you. Snack on that! (ends promo)
ReplyDeleteActually everyone is. He's a total drug addict that at 45 years old can't get his shit together but no one holds that against him because he wrestles well.
ReplyDelete"Bill Ray confirms the story, and adds that Rock Star Gary had the balls to review Over The Edge 1999 when no other writer did, therefore making him the perfect choice."
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff with awesome sauce there, Brian.
I admit that I'm not capable of defending my position in a way you could understand, and I'm completely unwilling to try. If that hurts your feelings, I'm sorry. But I won't change my mind. This is more time that I ever should have spent on you.
ReplyDeleteagain, again - I apologize
This seems to have bombed as hard as SSW, but damnit you get +1 for the effort,
ReplyDeleteYour analogies don't work. Defend them or you are admitting you aren't capable of defending your position and it is therefore wrong.
ReplyDeleteDock Muraco! You say that the ref didn't do his job? That Miss Danielle tripped you? You put your foot out and kicked at her and she was protecting herself and you tripped! The next thing you're gonna tell me is that Michael Sam has been invited to BoD RAW next week! You were simply the latest victim...of my marvelous wrestling...
ReplyDeleteWell when I saw "what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Kurt Angle?" I assumed he was dead, so I guess that's the first thing that comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell are they trying to pull with this Michael Sam shit? Do they think he will show up and say nobody will hire him in the NFL because he is gay and make sure he will never work in the NFL? Do they want Michael Sam to sign with WWE?
ReplyDeleteIt was such a dick move that even HHH admitted it was a dick move years after the fact.
ReplyDeleteBut given that the Nowinski concussion research was only a couple of years out, you can argue that ECW's entire style would have been compromised and they would have been on their way out sooner or later anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I was so surprised to see Awesome as part of the Invasion force. I thought for sure Heyman would have lobbied to Vince to have him blackballed for being such an unprofessional prick.
ReplyDeletewhat did they work out with Vince to even let Tazz work in ECW again?
ReplyDeleteVery true, but Paul is always willing to work with what he has. ECW would have been whoever was with the company at the time. There would always be enough guys WWE doesn't want to fill a decent roster.
ReplyDeleteWhatever that thing was where he was in the ring with a bunch of MMA guys and that one dude caught him in an armbar or something but ended up losing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he was really awesome really early on in his career.
Hopefully Darren Young put in a good word for him.
ReplyDeleteI think jobber was talking about Kane, not Henry.
ReplyDeleteThe three I's
ReplyDeleteI think Vince just got a kick out of having a WWF guy beat a WCW guy, and presumably Vince already had it in mind to beat Tazz on WWF TV for similar reasons.
ReplyDeleteI want to hear it during a Rusev segment, I don't care if they push the wrong button.
ReplyDeleteVs HBK WM 21.
ReplyDeleteOne if my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty cool of him.
ReplyDeleteWould it have been better if they had Rhyno as the one to screw Tommy Dreamer instead?
ReplyDeleteOr just hotshot a Rhyno face turn, have him beat Awesome in dominant fashion to make him the "new Taz"?
Wasn't he owed a bunch of money, too? I've never heard that he was openly saying he wanted to use ECW as a launching pad to WCW before, I always figured his decision was made easier because he wasn't getting paid.
ReplyDeleteEventually we will have to combine forces to kill everyone else on here, but It's admirable the way we let them eat first.
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of funny, also kind of a dick move, but under no circumstances would it have made sense for Tazz to beat Triple H. Ever.
ReplyDeleteOlympic Gold Medalist and milk sprayer.
ReplyDeleteHe's what's best for business.
ReplyDeleteThey would have had people like AJ Styles, Low Ki, Chris Daniels, Doug Williams, Spanky, plus all of the guys from ECW who were still there that could still go. Jerry Lynn, RVD, Tajiri, etc... it would have been what ROH would have been.
ReplyDeleteor became... sorry
ReplyDeleteThis was about the time that the decline and fall of the I-C title began. Jeff Jarrett beat a very good, credible I-C champ in Ramon but just couldn't maintain the heat from that match. And the WWF did him no favors by doing the ridiculous holdup angle with Holly (maybe it was a last, desperate attempt to make Action Zone relevant, but it didn't work and it dragged the belt down in the process). Shortly thereafter, they had Jarrett and Ramon swap the belt on a house show run, albeit one barely mentioned on TV. So rather than build up Jarrett with a lengthy 6-month+ reign like they did with most I-C champs of that era, he keeps coughing it up on C-shows and house shows for no really good booking reason (c.f., HBK losing to Jannetty in a classic RAW match and then regaining it a few weeks later in Diesel's debut). And then later this year, you have HBK vacate the belt (Syracuse), give it to Douglas for a meaningless 15 minute reign and transfer it to Ramon who couldn't beat Shawn for the belt at Summerslam in the first place. Things got really nuts a year later when they repeated the Holly-Jarrett angle with Goldust and Savio freaking Vega. The belt really took a beating until late 97 when Owen, Austin, Rock, and HHH made it special again. Russo then of course killed it off once and for all with his meaningless, manic title switches every two weeks.
ReplyDeleteHe got a 4 star match out of Kane,
ReplyDeleteThe Benoit matches.
"I wanna have sex with your wife!"
Sid's credibility was shot by the time Ramon was supposed to drop the belt to him, though. He'd already come up short twice against Diesel on PPV and was (kayfabe) removed off the Summerslam card by Monsoon (who actually said in his promo that "no one wants to see Shawn v. Sid" lol). And when Shawn vs. Sid came up short in the ratings against Nitro in the shows' first head-to-head battle, Sid took the fall, getting slopped by Henry Godwinn on Superstars/Action Zone in early fall. He wa snever the same after that. Teaming with the Kid, fresh off a big heel turn was actually a step UP for Sid at that point.
ReplyDeleteHis 2000 run was fun because he was such a wuss and always found a way to win. When he flipped in 2001 to serious wrestler I loved every minute of it.
ReplyDeleteHaving Jeff Jarrett steal his wife.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he was owed money; everyone was but I'm almost positive it was known he was using ECW for a big pay day, which is why he worked so hard for so little money.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he was given some pity for the horrible gimmicks WCW gave him?
ReplyDeleteWith TAZZ doing it, then Triple-H could wrestle an active WWF wrestler on a WWF show and job him out, thus proving that he`s better than the ECW Champion- that`s why.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
ReplyDeleteAlso love how they try to claim Chic White has been in jail for nearly three months over a bounced check. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't keep you in jail longer than 9 days for such a ridiculously petty crime.
Yeah, much as I hate him, he was hateable enough that he would have been a great Honky Tonk-type dickish heel who everyone wanted to see lose. Doesn`t really befit a top-level Champion, though.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Turturro.
ReplyDeleteYeah I found that odd. It was my first chance at watching ECW as it happened (I live in Western Canada), and within what? A couple months? Both of their major acts were gone. Thank God they still had RVD, back when he was THE must-watch guy in wrestling.
ReplyDeleteSid's credibility was so shot that he was doing jobs to Henry Godwinn and Bob Holly and it wasn't considered an upset.
ReplyDeleteHanging out with Vince and Austin while wearing a kid sized cowboy hat.
ReplyDeleteHis match with Orton at ONS is very underrated IMHO.
ReplyDeleteWolfie D? Well I have to admit that's better than I would have expected
ReplyDeleteIn his DVD, Heyman said that Vince McMahon paid ECW, I believe it was $500,000, to put on a PPV when Heyman didn't have the money to do so. I think that might be a large chunk of that money owed.
ReplyDeleteHis theme song, and the goofy times with Austin in the Alliance stories.
ReplyDeleteAnd the angle with HHH and Stephanie that got killed at the end
If the WWE had any amount of belief in long-term storylines, Angle would come back proclaiming he still loved Steph...and she'd be tempted.
Reread what you just wrote.
ReplyDeleteAll ECW needed to stay in business was:
1. A TV channel- since the Monday Night Wars, only a handful of channels with nationwide reach have been willing to take on a wrestling show- USA, Spike/TNN, Syfy, the MyNetwork/UPN thingy...
2. The company that owed the $3 million to change their mind- probably by a lawsuit, so you also need THAT money...
3. The $4 million you still owe after the $4 million (And actually, according to an article on Slam! Canada, it may have actually been a total debt near $9 million, not $7, although they did have $1.3 mil in assets)
4. The continued goodwill of the wrestlers who were owed part of that $4 million
And don't forget-
If ECW had survived to, say, mid-to-late 2001, and had a channel on TV, they still would sorta/quasi be a WWE subsidiary (at bankruptcy, Vince was owed nearly $600K). Which means the #1 and #2 promotions in North America would be owned or partially owned by the same guy. The WWE skirted any types of antitrust problems because their competition had gone out of business. But if the #2 company was actually in bed with the #1 company? It might have been stickier (though I am not a lawyer).
Also, Heyman had some IRS troubles, too.
Again, it's *possible* ECW would have survived. But it would have been really difficult, and the eventual outcome and lack of serious WWE competition post-2001 shows that.
Not that it makes it right, but they were just going through ECW's top markets by coincidence.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you know this, but nobody knows him personally nor do they give a shit.
ReplyDeleteThey spent $75,000 to steal the ECW champion, then turn him into the Fat Chick Thriller.
ReplyDeleteJust in case you were wondreing why WCW wnt out of business.
To be fair, Styles ate about $150K in the bankruptcy himself.
ReplyDeleteHere's where I'm getting the link:
http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingECW/apr11_ecwwoes-can.html
I've never judged Styles for the "suicide" remark. It's not like he had a crystal ball to know what was going to happen.
I put up a message board post about how Credible would make s good heel champ and then he won the strap like a week later, i felt clairvoyant. I never hated Credible like a lot of people did but i know how much genuine loathing most people had for him so he probably wasn't a great choice. In that respect Corino would have been a better choice but even he couldn't hold people's attention for long.
ReplyDeletePulling up his straps just to PULL THEM BACK DOWN!
ReplyDeleteIt only didn't bug me because at least it wasn't really a clean loss, but it still didn't need to happen. Not like HHH was ever going to be in the vicinity of Tazz other wise.
ReplyDeleteI doubt they'd ever have got him on antitrust. Wrestling isn't really a major industry, there were still lots of indies that we don't think of as competition but still count in a court of law, and they couldve worked out a deal like NFL has to be a functional monopoly. But honestly no one would have pursued that anyway. Not like there's political gain in appeasing out of work wrestlers.
ReplyDeleteKing of the Ring 2001, namely the match against Shane. It's in my all-time top five matches.
ReplyDeleteThat was fucking awesome. Had (sadly) completely forgotten about it.
ReplyDeleteI always just figured ECW thought it would be cool the be the only meeting ground of the Monday Night Wars. Like the only place to see a WCW guy fight a WWF guy is on ECW, and hey look we are the ones who made both these guys stars. I thought it was cool at the time.
ReplyDeleteHeyman tried to argue that he was saving RVD's world title chase for when they got a TV deal to put it in front of the most eyes. At first it was gonna be Awesome, then Rhyno i think. Honestly if that was the strategy, a big babyface match between Dreamer and RVD for who is the true heart of ECW would have been a better tactic.
ReplyDeleteYou must have loved Extreme Rules 2012.
ReplyDeleteThey invested so much in Cena, and they really needed to establish him as on equal footing with Lesnar by putting Cena over in their first match, and WWE being WWE nailed it.
I knew twins in high school who would regularly swap places in class.
ReplyDeleteMy fondest memory of Kurt is him being the first heel I rooted for in 2000 despite being a complete mark, I had to root for Kurt.
ReplyDeleteAnd my dad, being the great fan he was, became a huge fan of whoever was kicking Kurt's ass. I've got fond memories of defending Kurt to my dad's barbs about his receding hairline or colorful singlet.
"HE WON AN OLYMPIC MEDAL! HES WWF CHAMPION!"
My favorite match of his has to be at the Rumble against Benoit.
It really sucks to see he has struggled with addiction for so long. I've seen people I love become addicts too. Some have overcome it. Some haven't. I hope Kurt finds the strength within himself to get better.
JUST...TAP....OUT!! (Teeth gets kicked in)
ReplyDeleteCena was a main event star in the top company in the country for over seven years who lost to a guy who was a top guy in the company and has been a pretty iconic, larger than life figure, ever since he left.
ReplyDeleteJoe was an up and coming borderline main eventer in a fledgling company that was looking to establish him as a monster, and itself as a viable alternative.
They're not even remotely similar situations. To job your top unestablished homegrown star, who you've built as a monster, makes no sense. It's not seeing the big picture.
Don't forget the epic, "That 70's Guy"
ReplyDelete"and it's also common knowledge ECW was being bankrolled by Titan by then,"
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't go THAT far
Scott Sterling announced that he was going to put the TV Title around his waist. I am intrigued as to how he is going to do that with a trophy.
ReplyDeleteDon't buy it. If the ECW guys wanted to hurt him legit, they would have found a way even with Taz in that match. Tommy Dreamer interferes in the match so there was an opportunity. WCW was covering for Awesome that night too, as WCW head of security Doug Dellinger made sure that he got to the ring safe, did the job, and got out safe. Awesome was never in the locker room at all.
ReplyDeleteYep; the night of my senior year Homecoming dance. I recorded it, and may have been better off staying home watching, lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up, I've gotta find that promo.
ReplyDeleteScott Sterling's promos are usually a highlight of some of these shows mainly because he inexplicably raises his arms every single time he says something.
Obviously he couldn't have known about the suicide. Even if Awesome were still alive today, it's still a classless thing to say.
ReplyDeleteStyles has every right to let Heyman slide on $150k in pay, but that doesn't mean any other employee who is not okay with that is a chump.
Oh yeah, I know. It just puts the icing on the cake though that WWE totally buried ECW in Philly after doing them the huge favor of lending them Taz.
ReplyDeleteAny other city they still would've done it, but there's just something so cosmically appropriate that it happened in Philly.
I had the exact same impression of Angle at first and it took me about three months to warm to him but man was I proven wrong.
ReplyDeleteWas on the most recent show.
ReplyDeleteDoes that make Steph Julia Roberts?
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what happened to that Regal ripoff guy.
ReplyDelete