Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread **Spoilers Possible**

[SirFozzie]

Well, the Vampire debuted and his er.. manager.. jeez. How long did it take to stuff her into that suit?

Couple unique moves, but uh.. yeah.

[SirFozzie]

Wow. This is the deadest crowd in the history of TV

[molson]

It's another one every day - Matt Hardy will be pulled road as of this week as well, no reason given.

They did use him at tonight's Smackdown tapings, so he probably isn't in the "potential Hepititus group", but odds are he tested positive for something.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Reading the spoilers, I got a decent chuckle from the smartmarks in the crowd at yesterday's TNA tapings.

Scott Steiner in the ring, crowd chants "Li-ver ... En-zymes" during the match.

Not the best I've ever heard, but not totally shabby either IMO.

[DeToxRox]

Should be a good one in two weeks, 'Cide/Daniels.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

Should be a good one in two weeks, 'Cide/Daniels.

Yep.

Having read the next two weeks worth of TV already, there's a part of me that wants to find something to pick at the booking about, but on the whole I don't think I can fairly complain.

Case in point: I don't like the storyline they're using for LAX but if they're determined to go that route then I think they're handling it more than passably well.

Jarrett/Sting/Steiner/Cage is a pretty basic & traditional pro wrestling storyline, almost painful in its predictability for me and pretty much anybody who has watched wrestling for any major length of time. But I'm not the target audience really, I'm too old by a good 15 years at least, so I have to remember that and exercise some patience about it.

I think everybody and their brother knows that the title is eventually going around Joe's waist, but I'm increasingly of the mind that it may become anti-climatic in some ways. Once he gets the World Title, I think it pretty much has to stay on him for quite a while. Win/lose/regain over 2-3 months would be running the risk of taking some of the shine off him IMO, but knowing that my fear is that it's going to be somewhat tough to avoid having things start to feel stagnant by the middle of his reign (which I figure will be somewhere in the 8-12 month duration). Avoiding that problem may turn out to be the biggest challenge TNA has faced on screen to date.

[DeToxRox]

CM Punk in-ring debut goes solidly as the ECW die hards in Hammerstien welcome him with open arms, especially against an old ECW favorite in Justin Credible. Big pops for CM. We'll see how he does when he's in an arena filled with SD fans, but I think he's well on his way being the next big thing.

[DeToxRox]

lmfao at the change the channel chants.

[TazFTW]

Great crowd.

Are RVD's 30 days up yet?

[jbmagic]

Jeff Hardy Back On WWE

His own fate twisted
By Craig Tello
August 4, 2006

After spending three years combating his personal demons, a refocused and rehabilitated Jeff Hardy is prepared to return to the place where he began his career as a teenager.

WWE.com has learned that WWE officials have rehired former Superstar Jeff Hardy, more than three years after his release from the company.

For this unique athlete, it has been a turbulent, arduous road back to WWE. In 2003, just as Hardy began to make his ascent to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment, he came crashing down, reportedly because of a drug dependency.

After showing up late for several WWE events and demonstrating a deterioration in his in-ring performance, Hardy’s last match in WWE was on March 24, 2003. In May of that year, after refusing to go into drug rehabilitation, Hardy was subsequently released from WWE.

In 1993, at the age of 16, Jeff and his brother Matt, 19, started working for WWE, wrestling against contracted WWE Superstars. It wasn't until 1998 that the brothers were given full-time WWE deals. That year, the Hardy Boyz almost instantly became top-tier contenders in WWE's tag team division.

Both talented risk-takers with dynamic in-ring chemistry, the Hardyz revolutionized sports-entertainment, employing wild aerial maneuvers that did damage to both their opponents and themselves. Capturing both the WWE and WCW Tag Team Championships, the Hardyz made their strongest impact in their epic Tables, Ladders and Chairs Matches with the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian.

Shortly after the WWE brand extension in 2002, Matt and Jeff were split apart and Jeff found success as a singles star on RAW. After the split, Hardy began to display his most unorthodox side, adding uniquely colored body paint to his ever-changing hair color.

Perhaps the highlight of his singles career was his Ladder Match with Undertaker for the WWE Championship in July 2002. In a match that no one believed Hardy could win, Jeff brought his abilities to a higher level unlike anyone had ever seen in him before. That night, Jeff did not walk out as WWE Champion, but he earned the respect of not only The Phenom, but of all who watched the contest. People started to acknowledge Hardy’s true talent – a talent that was curtailed and snuffed out due to his addiction.

Holding a number of championships, Hardy was en route to reaching the summit of his sports-entertainment career until it all came to an abrupt end due to his erratic behavior and drug use.

Overcoming addiction is arguably the greatest victory of Hardy’s life. And as a renewed Jeff Hardy prepares to reintroduce himself to WWE fans, one can only expect Hardy to earn his greatest career victories and even larger triumphs when he makes his long-awaited return home.

[jbmagic]

Hulk Hogan in trouble.

Earlier today, the WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon, received an urgent phone call from Hulk Hogan.

Hogan said that there’s a possibility that he has a cracked meniscus, which in turn could possibly prevent him from appearing on RAW this Monday night in Memphis, next week’s RAW in Charlottesville and even SummerSlam.

Hulk Hogan will have an MRI tonight at a Miami hospital to determine the extent of the injury which is in his right knee (his good one).

"It started about two weeks ago, like a toothache," Hogan said, "the joint on the outside of the knee. I was complaining to my son Nick that it was killing me all the time. I have been on the road with my daughter Brooke and haven't been able to work out my legs like I should."

Hogan added: "Yesterday, I did a couple of leg exercises at a gym. When I got home, I sat on my new couch and it was like sitting in a hole. When I got up, it sounded like a snap, an explosion in the kneecap. I can stand and walk a bit, but its hard for me to sit and get up and down the stairs."

Hogan was despondent that he might not compete against the Legend Killer Randy Orton. The RAW roster is currently in Australia, and due to the time difference in Australia, Randy Orton was not available for comment.

Hulk Hogan is arguably the greatest WWE Legend of all time, and if his injury prevents him from competing against Randy Orton at SummerSlam, there is no doubt he will see him sometime in the future.

[TazFTW]

Looks like the crowd reaction at the Hammerstein Ballroom has the WWE considering to let ECW have their own taping schedule instead of tacking it on to Smackdown. Good move if they do it.

[saldana]

i had a torn meniscus, and i am a little surprised they are saying it is that severe enough to cancel the match...when mine was damaged, it only hurt if i twisted or pivoted while my knee was bent...i could walk and run as long as it was in a straigt line with no problems, and my surgeon let me hold off on the surgery until it was convenient for me class-wise (in college at the time). considering the fact that hogan wears those heavy braces on both knees, and barely moves arond the ring anyway, i am surprised at that article

[Joe]

does Jeff Hardy know that the WWE tests for drugs?

[duckman]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

does Jeff Hardy know that the WWE tests for drugs?

He better or the Wellness Program is going to nip him in the butt big time.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

Looks like the crowd reaction at the Hammerstein Ballroom has the WWE considering to let ECW have their own taping schedule instead of tacking it on to Smackdown. Good move if they do it.

Very good mood if they do it. I saw the ECW PPV and it was much better crowd-wise than the TV show.

[TazFTW]

Extreme frenchcanadian Rene Dupree

Sabu talking

Sabu vs Angle wasn't bad but you need to have that match be extreme rules. Without extreme rules, Sabu loses half his move set.

RVD completely missing the Van Daminator.

Smackdown crowd still sucks.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I didn't order TNA's Hard Justice tonight since I haven't been home for most of it. Just reading the online reports now & the most interesting thing has to be that they had to clear the building after the first match due to a fire in the rafters apparently caused by the opening pyro.

Ultimately, they cancelled one match from the card, shortened a couple of others, and they just started the main even pretty much on time in spite of a nearly 30 minute delay while the fire marshal's checked the building & then allowed the crowd to return.

I've heard of burning down the house, but that's a little ridiculous if you ask me.

Also, when I get a chance, I'll post my thoughts, impressions, and a maybe a few pictures from last night's UWF/TNA house show in Anderson, SC. Short version of my review is pretty much "had a blast, cool bunch of guys, good bunch of wrestlers, my son was having about as much fun as I've ever seen him have so it was worth every penny".

[SirFozzie]

The crowd has redeemed their chant happy nature.. the seconed they saw the rigging go ablaze they started the chant "The Roof.. The Roof.. The Roof is On Fire!:

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

The crowd has redeemed their chant happy nature.. the seconed they saw the rigging go ablaze they started the chant "The Roof.. The Roof.. The Roof is On Fire!:

Yes indeed, those would be the Impact Zone regulars I do believe.

(The Joe/Roode match last night in Anderson took nearly 10 extra minutes to get started after the intros because the chants basically refused to die down. Part of it was, of course, Roode playing the heel & encouraging it, but Joe finally had to ask the crowd to quieten down so they could do the match)

[saldana]

i'm sorry, i know the gimmick is getting a little old right now, but i have to have one of those shirts with the giant rooster....these guys can market anything.

[SirFozzie]

Interesting set of tapings from TNA.. titles will change on Impact in the next couple weeks.

[JonInMiddleGA]

-- I do not like that booking at all. And I mean big time don't like it. Inadequate set-up, and really as much as I like the potential & skill set of the winner, I don't believe the title is deserved yet.

-- Interesting to see some notes that say Sabin was indeed supposed to go over last night, only to be foiled by Nash's neck injury. TNA apparently believes it's legit, but it sure is awfully convienient. Best thing at this point, IMO, is to just let that angle end with a whimper instead of a bang & move on.

-- And I wonder if we'll ever see or even hear from Sirelda again after last night? I'm not particularly concerned about it one way or the other I guess, but I still wonder.

Damn, I really dislike a lot of the next three weeks stuff after reading it a couple of more times. Not a lot there that gets me all fired up to watch, or at least, not enough good to overcome the stuff I don't like.

[Arctus]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

-- Interesting to see some notes that say Sabin was indeed supposed to go over last night, only to be foiled by Nash's neck injury. TNA apparently believes it's legit, but it sure is awfully convienient.

I don't think TNA buys it for a second. Pretending to buy it is just preferable to basically admitting that Nash got one over on them.

I think the release of the planned finish is basically some (somewhat justified) sour grapes by TNA.

[molson]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Interesting to see some notes that say Sabin was indeed supposed to go over last night, only to be foiled by Nash's neck injury. TNA apparently believes it's legit, but it sure is awfully convienient. Best thing at this point, IMO, is to just let that angle end with a whimper instead of a bang & move on.

I thought Nash was in the part of his career where he didn't care about this kind of stuff anymore. And who leaks (or makes up) that Nash was supposed to go over unless they have an agenda?

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by molson

I thought Nash was in the part of his career where he didn't care about this kind of stuff anymore. And who leaks (or makes up) that Nash was supposed to go over unless they have an agenda?

Nash will never put over someone clean who isn't one of his croneys.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Nash will never put over someone clean who isn't one of his croneys.

That'd probably be a good wrestling trivia question someday:
Who was the last non-clique member that Nash put over?

I have no idea off-hand.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That'd probably be a good wrestling trivia question someday:
Who was the last non-clique member that Nash put over?

I have no idea off-hand.

goldberg?....wasnt nash in the elimination chamber match that he won?

[General Mike]

Doing a job isn't the same as putting someone over tho.

[saldana]

true, how about the answer is still goldberg then, and we go all the way back to his unbeaten streak in WCW?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Looking back through Nash's Wikipedia entry, it looks like Chris Jericho might have been the last guy Nash put over competely on television.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Looking back through Nash's Wikipedia entry, it looks like Chris Jericho might have been the last guy Nash put over competely on television.

Yeah. I Checked obsessed with wrestling, and Jericho beat him in a hair vs Hair match on the Raw before Summerslam 2003. Nash got pinned by HBK after a superkick in the Elimination Chamber before Goldberg even got in the match.

[DeToxRox]

I may get some flack for this but Nash/Shelley is just absolutely hilarious. I'd suspect a Nash turn on Shelley would get Shelley over huge and thus lead to an X-Divison Title run.

[DeToxRox]

Dola - Low Ki (No way I refer to him as his new name) vs Nash would rule too, just because Ki would legit damage Nash if he saw fit.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Yeah. I Checked obsessed with wrestling, and Jericho beat him in a hair vs Hair match on the Raw before Summerslam 2003. Nash got pinned by HBK after a superkick in the Elimination Chamber before Goldberg even got in the match.

by bad...for some reason i remembered that elimination chamber with goldberg beating everyone, and then spearing HBK or HHH through the glass door.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Yeah. I Checked obsessed with wrestling, and Jericho beat him in a hair vs Hair match on the Raw before Summerslam 2003.

That Hair v Hair was the last match I saw mentioned in his Wiki that I was sure would count as putting someone over. Not sure whether it was mentioned on the Obsessed site or not, but Wikipedia entry said Nash was willing to lose the hair because he had to have it cut for his role in the Punisher movie anyway.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

I may get some flack for this but Nash/Shelley is just absolutely hilarious. I'd suspect a Nash turn on Shelley would get Shelley over huge and thus lead to an X-Divison Title run.

Yeah, I see Nash as "putting over" Shelley in this regard (even though he's technically putting himself over as well). But as far as Nash jobbing to someone, that doesn't happen often.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

I may get some flack for this but Nash/Shelley is just absolutely hilarious. I'd suspect a Nash turn on Shelley would get Shelley over huge and thus lead to an X-Divison Title run.

Except that the division, at least under standard booking norms, needs Shelley as a heel more than they need him as a face, since there's currently no shortage of X-Div faces (Lethal & Sabin chief among them).

I still think there's a point coming (maybe in conjunction with the eventual 2nd hour of TV) that they're going to need another midcard title to pass around.

And, to the original point, I've said at least a couple of times that I liked the work Nash/Shelley were doing together, so you sure won't get any flack from me about it. But I would probably call that more a case of Shelley getting a rub from Nash than I would a case of Nash putting him over (although that's probably more semantical than I ought to be about it).

[General Mike]

Tonight, Kurt Angle dies.

[General Mike]

Divine Intervention.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Divine Intervention.

can i get a recap, i forgot to set the tivo...pm if you want to avoid spoiling for those that did set theirs....just of the ladder match, not the whole show

thx

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by saldana

can i get a recap, i forgot to set the tivo...pm if you want to avoid spoiling for those that did set theirs....just of the ladder match, not the whole show

thx

Angle hurt his groin this weekend, he's been taken out of the match.

[saldana]

nevermind then on the recap

[TazFTW]

Ugh.

Foley dancing, extreme frenchcanadian, a Knox/Test squash match.

The Punk/Credible and RVD/Sabu matches were sloppy. Heck, I think the RVD/Sabu match was the sloppiest match I have ever seen.

[Toddzilla]

I was at the Verizon (nee MCI) Center last night and had a great time. I wore my 4 Horseman tshirt an got a million "Whooooo!"s. Very cool. My observations: (***Smackdown spoiler warning***)

• The wrestling - as expected - was pretty bad.
• Dark match was Gregory Helms vs. some random asian wreslter dressed as a cowboy. Wow, Helms is wasted in the WWE. What happened to the WCW Cruiserweight that was awesome to watch? He's a plodding punch/kick WWE wrestler now, and it sucks.
• Batista making his return to his "hometown" was pretty special - biggest pop I've ever seen to start the show. The crowd was kind of deflated that he didn't cut a promo and his match lasted about 25 seconds - totally squashed Sylvan Grenier.
• Mr. Kennedy's entrance schtick is over, but his wrestling is most certianly not. Very loud "boring" chants throughout the match.
• Don't know how the Undertaker/Khali match will come across on TV, but it was a lot of fun in person. Knowing neither were going to be on the PPV gave this a PPV-style feel. Cookie-cutter "last man standing match" formula, however.
• Turkay is a monster. I didn't know he's using Samoa Joe's musclebuster as a finisher. Boo.
• Vito won - his dress schtick is lame.
• Finlay defended against Lashley and won - via DQ help from Regal. The crowd was more into the midget. Sigh. Nice spot after the match when Finlay was retreating to the back and Lashley threw a chair from the ring about 20 feet and drilled him dead on.
• Booker promo at the end was pretty cool, but hearing Sharmel say "Bow down to Booker" a thousand times was annoying. Batista came out and it was a neat ending to the show.
• No Rey/Chavo. They didn't have a stage entrance so that Rey could have done his typical intro, so that kind of gave it away.
• Big break as they changed sets to ECW. They covered the main entrance and put the small ECW entrance in the middle of the floor seats to give it a smaller-venue feel. It was kind of neat.
• WORST moment of the night - they run an extended promo for the 3-way between Angle, Sabu, and RVD. Angle, by far, was the most over. Then, not 5 seconds later, they run the taped Paul Heyman promo saying Angle wasn't going to wrestle. 20% of the crowd left before the show even started.
• Mick Foley comes out to cut a promo, and my hopes that Flair may make an apprearance jump from 0% to 2%. You saw the show, so after the awful dance, Flair runs out and the place, including yours truly, goes postivley ape shit. Everyone in my section was looking as me as I jumped up and down like a 9-year-old. Whooooooo! BEST moment of the night, easy.
• CM Punk/Justin Credible stunk, they were out of synch, not on the same page.
• Test is a monster, no question. He can be he next real big monster heel in ECW if they keep feeding him smaller guys, because he looked incredible. Mike Knox didn't do anything - feh.
• We left after that to beat the crowd and semi-protest pulling Angle. Boo.
• Overall, the crowd was kind of cold for ECW. Big arenas don't translate well for the product, and it was impossible to get chants going. The Smackdown crowd was hot from start to finish.

Whoooooooo!

[Terps]

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5...roadup2oc5.jpg


Looks like Masters lost a lot of mass since being off of RAW. This pic is from OVW the other night.

[molson]

He looks better and healthier, IMO. Though he probably won't be back on TV with the masterpiece gimick.

[JonInMiddleGA]

While I'm remembering to do it, just a few pictures from my trip to see the UWF/TNA show last weekend. I don't have my regular shots back yet, just the ones I shot with the digital and most of the action stuff really didn't turn out well. Partly because I suck with cameras and partly we were facing both light rigs for the video shoot, meaning that the action had to be in the center of the ring or the workers had to be blocking the lights for me to get anything other than their glare.

One of the few candid shots that I did like was one of Christopher Daniels during the introductions. The two that follow are from the Fan Experience before the show, I chose these because I love the difference in Will's expression when he was posing with the heels versus posing with the faces.
The picture that I didn't get is the image that'll stay with me the longest though: the look of absolute joy on my son's face when Joe suddenly picked him up and sat him on the ring apron (which resulted in the picture you see here) was worth 10x what the weekend cost me.

[MikeVic]

That's cool! I'd be smiling too if I got to get pics with these guys.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

That's cool! I'd be smiling too if I got to get pics with these guys.

Although I picked those two, we actually got pictures and autographs from every single wrestler who worked the show.

I was quite impressed with how smoothly overall that the UWF and Highspots (who appeared to be in charge of the merchandise operations) folks had things running. They had one hour scheduled for the Ultimate Fan Experience, from 530p-630p, and the last person in line finished up with the last workers at 6:35pm, and everybody had a chance to get every wrestler they wanted.

I was thinking maybe they ought to take over the organization of stuff like the Academy Awards

At $50 per, the UFE package isn't cheap, but for the meet-and-greet opportunity + ringside seats versus $35 per for 2nd/3rd row or $20 per (IIRC) for general admission in the portable bleachers, it seems like a no brainer to me to do the top package if you can afford it. I believe on all the previous shows prior to the South Carolina trip, they had also included a meal (usually catered by a local BBQ joint) for the price of the Fan Experience, so it was even a better deal on those.