wrestling / Columns
Ask 411 Wrestling 11.21.12: ROH Dying, Midcard Sucking, Me Winning, More!
*reads 411mania report about Cena’s injury*
*deletes half a page*
Well, there goes that intro. So… How you doing?
That is to say, welcome to Ask 411 Wrestling. I am Mathew Sforcina, in the extremely unlikely event you didn’t know that. And I’m now scrambling slightly to cover for a lack of content here, now that Cena’s injury appears to be a work, which has led to some changes here.
Like for instance this week being a Total Opinion Week because I’m tired right now. Although next week there may well be a poll to see about a special future edition of the column…
Well that was a confusing teaser.
Anyway, got a question? Who doesn’t? You can email them to [email protected] if you want.
Plus you can listen to Just Another God Damned Rasslin’ Show which I’m on, 411mania’s shows which I’m currently not on, and Wrestling PodClash.
And do all of the above while staring at BANNER~!
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Backtalking
Video Overload: I only include them when it’s relevant. Sometimes it means lots of them, sometimes it’s only a couple. Them’s the breaks.
Jericho on the Radio: OK, well I couldn’t find him on there, but if he’s still there, awesome.
Proof: We went through this argument a long time ago, but to reiterate: You have to take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am giving the best answers I have, and I’m using every resource I have, some of them solid (Historyofwwe.com), some useful but questionable (shoot interviews) and some pure speculation (gossip between wrestlers). So for a lot of questions, I can’t give proof because I don’t have it. I try and put in “allegedly” and “supposedly” and the like, but as a general rule, if the question isn’t about numbers or hard facts, take my answer to be, at best, my best guess unless otherwise noted. If this isn’t good enough for you, fair enough. I’m just doing what I can.
Your Turn, Smart Guy…
Who am I? I’m Canadian, although that never really played into my gimmick (beyond one nickname). I’m part of a wrestling family. You could argue that Lex Luger stole a gimmick off me. I’ve teamed with Hulk Hogan, battled Bob Backlund for the WWF Title and I’m trained a few wrestlers, including one guy who has, according to the joke, invented every move ever. Who am I?
Maravilloso has the answer, ladies and gentlemen!
Who am I? I’m Canadian, although that never really played into my gimmick (beyond one nickname).
CANADA’S GREATEST ATHLETE
I’m part of a wrestling family.
FATHER AND UNCLE WERE A TAG TEAM
You could argue that Lex Luger stole a gimmick off me.
THE “INJURED” FOREARM
I’ve teamed with Hulk Hogan,
IN NEW JAPAN, 1984
battled Bob Backlund for the WWF Title
IN 1983
and I’m trained a few wrestlers, including one guy who has, according to the joke, invented every move ever.
MIKE (NOVA/SIMON DEAN) BUCCI
Who am I
THE GREATEST FOREARM SMASHER. . . IN CANADA, IRON MIKE SHARPE!!!
And this week, we have a special guest question asker, Ron ‘All-In’ Gamble!
Who am I? Before I began my wrestling career, I played college football with someone who is now in the WWE Hall of Fame. I played pro football in Canada before starting my wrestling career. I wrestled in several areas early in my career, even using the real name of another Hall of Famer in one area. After I went to work for Vince McMahon, I was teamed with a veteran and together, we won the tag team titles, the only WWF title reign for him. After losing the belts, I went to another major promotion, and started using a famous phrase . When I returned to New York, I started challenging for singles gold, and won it after several months of pursuit. I made several WrestleMania appearances, including one that was rather memorable. After my second tag team title reign, I had a somewhat lengthy feud with my former partner . In my final match with the WWF, I wrestled a tag team partner in a rare televised “face-vs.-face” match. I was also one of the early holders of a world title, although it had not reached “world title” status when I was champion. In my final pay-per-view appearance, I made my first appearance for an organization. Now, many wrestlers claim they want something I have. A career-long face, I am who?
Questions, Questions, Who’s Got The Questions?/My Damn Opinion
Matt starts us off.
Why isn’t Eric Young on my TV? For the past 12 months the dude has been GOLD!! And then to top it all off, he gets his own TV show (which was actually very entertaining). And then…. He’s gone (minus the occasional chicken & beer segment with ODB).. As a WWE lifer, I’m totally able to admit that he’s been my favorite ‘character’ for quite some time now..
Well see, the TV show that he got was the reason. When Impact went live every week, that came as a bit of a surprise to Eric, he wasn’t prepared for that, in that the vast majority of his Thursdays were taken up by Animal Planet, to work on his show. So he ended up not there because he was off working on the show. And given that his show as now been renewed for a second season, there’s a chance he might well be gone full stop soon…
Also, just looking for your opinion on this one.. Speaking of ODB… Ya know how people say that sometimes wrestlers are ‘Way Ahead Of Their Time’? I get the opposite sense with a character like her. What I mean by that is that is she was her current self in let’s say 1998, the bitch would’ve been $$$$.. The drinking, the language, the chest/crotch grabbing.. This chick has ‘attitude era’ all over her and I feel like back then, she could’ve actually drawn… Thoughts??
Oh great, bring out the ‘Women have never drawn’ crowd again. Wonderful idea.
As for the idea… She’d certainly fit in with WWF 98, but then you’re assuming she got in the front door there. But sure, if she had been around in WWF at the height of Russo, a female Stone Cold variation, while somewhat derivative, would have worked. Hell, might even have main evented a PPV, Austin and ODB V HHH and Chyna, WWF and WWF Women’s Championship both on the line.
But yeah, in the event WWF would have hired her, she probably could have been a star, albeit as a Rule 63 Austin…
I don’t want to start any trouble/drama/flame wars with this question, so if you don’t feel comfortable posting/discussing it I understand.. I attending Backlash ’99 (April, Providence, RI) and saw Owen’s last PPV match, and then the following month…. Yeah…. I can’t help but be fascinated with Behind-The-Scenes/True Crime/Messed up Graphic Stuff, and I’ve read and researched every possible article or mention about Owen’s fall that night at the Kemper Arena. But the one thing that has NEVER surfaced is footage. Does ANYTHING exist? WWF cameras are always on a constant feed but surely they would have destroyed or locked up anything. My guess would be they actually needed to save something during any type of courts or trials, and then destroyed? But, no fan footage? No leaked clip? Again, I’m sorry for bringing this up, but I’ve searched everywhere and you’re my last resort.
No, there isn’t any. While they do have cameras running, none of them were focused on the ring at the time.
…
They were running the interview with Owen as the Blue Blazer, and none of the cameras were, supposedly, trained on the ring at that point. Maybe one or two were in the general vicinity and saw a flash as he fell, but no camera caught it.
And the thing is, if there WAS, then it would have come up in the trial. Hell, if WWF had destroyed any footage, that would have come up in the trial and that would have been used against them (“They are destroying evidence!”). The fact that nothing turned up during that proves that, as far as can legally be determined, no footage exists.
What is Edge up to? He is my wife’s favorite, and last night we were discussing scenarios of why he’s not under any type of WWE contract. His role in HAVEN is pretty small, yet re-occurring. Is he just simply taking a break away from all things WWE (even though he shows up every few months while not under contract) or is he up to something? (TNA, starting his own something, etc)… Also, do you think he’ll ever come back as an announcer or GM or some type of role for a 6 month/permanent run??
Thanks bro!
He’s actually had neck surgery a couple weeks ago which will keep him out of the news for a while, and out of the ring forever, it would appear. He’s fully retired now, and so he’s doing what’s best for his long term happiness rather than what’s best to get him back in the ring.
As for his contract, he chose not to re-sign a deal with WWE because he wanted to be free and without strings. He has shown no interest in any long term wrestling deal elsewhere, he’s happy enough to sit at home and enjoy being care-free and what have you. He’s happy to work out deals if and when it makes sense for both parties (like his last appearance on Smackdown to promote Haven) but he just didn’t want to have to appear for WWE when ordered.
That said… I think if some sort of situation came up where WWE came to him and offered a short 3 month deal to be GM for a bit, leading up to WM where he’d lose it when his team lost a match or something, if he had nothing else on and WWE assured him they wanted no physical activity from him, I’m sure he’d be willing to do something. Or hell, maybe he might try his hand at commentary if he feels like it. But right now Adam Copeland is enjoying being retired. Or at least, enjoying it as much as one can while recovering from neck surgery.
Ace has questions I can answer!
Question regarding my FAVORITE wrestling personality to follow on twitter….The Iron Sheik! During his short reign as WWF Champion, how many title defenses did he have, & of those how many were televised?
*fires up historyofwwe.com*
Sheik won on December 26th, 1983, lost it January 23rd, 1984. Between those (Non-Televised unless stated otherwise)…
Dec 27th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik pinned Chief Jay Strongbow with his feet on the ropes after kicking him with a loaded boot
Dec 28th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Bob Bradley
Dec 29th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Salvatore Bellomo
Dec 30th: WWF World Champion The Iron Sheik defeated Pat Patterson via disqualification
Jan 2nd: WWF World Champion The Iron Sheik defeated Salvatore Bellomo
Jan 3rd: (Jan 7th edition of Championship Wrestling) WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated John Callahan at 2:14 via submission with the Camel Clutch AND
(Jan 21st edition of Championship Wrestling) WWF World Chamion the Iron Sheik (sub. for Mr. Fuji) (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated Mike Dorsett via submission with the camel clutch at 1:48; Fuji was originally supposed to wrestle but Sheik & Blassie came out and Blassie convinced Fuji to let Sheik take his place
Jan 4th: (Jan 7th edition of All-Star Wrestling) WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated Denny Hill via submission with the Camel Clutch at 1:21 AND
(Jan 14th edition of All-Star Wrestling) WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated Ken Jugan via submission with the Camel Clutch at 3:49
Jan Unknown, roughly here: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Salvatore Bellomo via submission with a surfboard
Jan 8th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Pat Patterson via disqualification
Jan 8th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Pat Patterson via disqualification
Jan 11th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik pinned Chief Jay Strongbow
Jan 12th: WWF World Champion The Iron Sheik defeated Salvatore Bellomo
Jan 13th: WWF World Champion The Iron Sheik pinned Chief Jay Strongbow at 7:38
Jan 14th: Bob Backlund defeated WWF World Champion The Iron Sheik via disqualification at 15:42
Jan 18th: Bob Backlund fought WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik to a no contest
Jan 19th: Bob Backlund defeated WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik via disqualification
Jan 20th: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Chief Jay Strongbow
Jan 21st: 20-man $15,000 battle royal; participants included: Andre the Giant, Jimmy Snuka, WWF Tag Team Champions Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson, Tito Santana, Tony Garea, WWF IC Champion Don Muraco, WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik, Paul Orndorff, the Wild Samoans, Sgt. Slaughter, & Iron Mike Sharpe
Jan 21st: (Live on PRISM Network) WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik fought Tito Santana to a double disqualification at 10:54 when both men shoved down the referee after Sheik brought a steel chair into the ring
Jan 22nd: WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik defeated Chief Jay Strongbow
So yes, he did have a few televised wins, and he defended the belt at almost every show, but most of the time he fought jobbers, and when he did take on a name, he was DQed or it was a draw. 21 defences, 5 televised (albeit one on a local cable network).
Also, did fans back then kind of know that Hulk Hogan was being groomed as the “next big thing” to be the next Babyface, or was it a TOTAL shock when he came in after being back with the WWF for only a month or so & beat the champ??
It was fairly obvious when Hogan made his surprising return that he was going to be the next big thing.
Which is not to say that his winning was obvious, it wasn’t anywhere near a certainty. But it was obvious he was the next big star, given that when he came in, Backlund endorsed him right off the bat and such. And he also spoke about going after the title every time he got on the mic. So yeah, it wasn’t a total shock, but it was fairly clear what was gonna happen.
Adrian has two questions.
Two inquiries that require your damn option. In the late 90’s why was there such an influx of ECW guys into WCW when Heyman and co were really down on WCW ? Raven, Stevie, Sandman, Mickey, Sabu…the list goes on. Was it just the money and why did so few, if any, go to WWF at this time ?
Well hey now, a few did go to WWF. Austin, Foley, Funk… But yeah, most of the guys who treated it as a stop over, and/or the originals tended to go to WCW over WWF.
Now, each one will tell you something different, each had their own reasons, but for the most part, it seems to be a case where they decided that it was in their best interests to go to the money, and WCW was the one willing to pay them, and/or where they felt they were more likely to be themselves. I mean, look at the track record of ECW guys in WWF, Dean Douglas, Xanta Claus, Aldo Montoya, you can see why the ECW locker room didn’t exactly trust WWF.
But mostly I think it’s the simple case that WCW was willing to pay more people more money, out of some sort of desire to ensure no-one else had them. WWF only took guys they thought they could use.
Are you into wrestling podcasts? I like the LAW, angry marks and smart wrestling fan.
Thanks for your time and options.
I don’t listen to as many as I’d like, but I don’t mind them. But the only one I listen to with any regularity is the one I’m involved in, JAGRS. If one makes waves or is forwarded to me by someone I respect/like/whatever, I’ll listen. And hell, anyone is desperate and wants me on there, I’ll call in and be yelled at for being stupid offer my opinion when asked.
David asks an interesting question.
I’ve got an opinion question for you:
I think the argument could be made that Andre the Giant was the Hogan/Austin of the 70’s (although I’m sure Dusty would argue otherwise). Andre was an attraction in every territory and was loved by the fans…and yet by the 80’s it seemed like every “giant” was positioned as a heel. Granted there were plenty of giants who were heels in the 70’s as well, but here’s Andre, a French giant that speaks heavily accented English and is pretty scary looking, who by most accounts was not fan friendly outside the ring…and yet he was a huge babyface. But by the 80’s, it seemed as though every big guy was positioned as the monster. As a giant yourself, I’m curious if you think Andre was unique and giants should always be the monster or if you think the “gentle giant” is a lost art?
Andre was a different deal than most giants. Most guys who are giants are maybe 6 foot 6, 6’10, and fat. Andre was out of this world big, and I don’t think we can truly grasp how big a deal he was in today’s world. Andre was unique, but that said, anyone can be face, anyone can be heel. I don’t think that there is anyone who cannot make an effective good guy or bad guy, it’s all in the booking.
But yeah, the gentle giant thing is something that can be very effective, but the problem is that in today’s world, unless you’re Big Show or Khali, you can’t be solely sold on your size. Big Show and Khali can get away with being a Giant and nothing else, but everyone else, merely being big isn’t enough. Show I do feel works better as a face, simply because it allows him to use his humor better, although his current run’s actually not bad, now that we’re out of the rough patch. And Khali might as well stay face since he can barely do anything.
But again, it comes down to the booking, and to the talent. Some people find it easier to be face, others heel, and often it’s the reverse of what they are in real life, so you can never tell who’s going to be the awesome heel or face until you try it, giants included.
So, to sum up, yes, you can work the gentle giant role today, and it does have a place, but not for every giant, and really, you kinda need a bit more than that to get by…
I don’t remember facing Tim Donst either.
Please tell me I beat the damn Cobra…
Kota Ibushi? I’m so screwed…
Ares? I can do it! GO ME!
…
Dammit.
Here’s some other ones for awesome’s sake.
THAT’S how you use social media.
Ben asks about future stars.
I read in a report on Ask411 that “David” said “Did you see the recent report on 411 that claimed WWE management has decided that the mid-card guys suck and that the entire roster is devoid of stars”?
You’re opinion…. Do you believe that is true? And, if not, who among the mid-card would you see as future A listers?
This was sent a while ago, so the landscape has changed slightly, in that a few people have debuted who I have confidence in. I still believe that there is a certain lack of focus in the midcard, in that the 50-50 booking doesn’t help anyone. Every time WWE has gotten someone over in the past few years has been via strong booking. Mark Henry, Ryback (arguably), Team Hell No. Sure, strong booking doesn’t always work (Sheamus!), but 50-50 booking sure as hell doesn’t. Guys get over despite the booking, not because of it (Ryder. Yes, you can hate him, and you might even dislike his fandom, but you cannot seriously deny the fact that he was over).
But right now, there’s a few future A Listers, sure. If Ziggler is used right once he cashes in, there’s one. Antonio Cesaro has a strong look, and will probably make something of himself. Damien Sandow has taken his time, but he finally has a gimmick and look that works for him, and I’d wager he’s a future world champ. If you want to lump Daniel Bryan into the midcard, then that’s a gimme. Sin Cara should be the next Mysterio, if he continues improving. And the new little Anti-Ryback group, I could see any member of that not called Roman making it. And Ryder’s still there…
So they do have talent there. Just a case of if they get to use it properly or not.
Also, for the first time, I was able to see ROH this past week-end. And I know, being my first time, I may not be giving the product any chance. But in the opening, there were probably four different overlapping promos from wrestler’s addressing each other in and around the ring. It appeared that they were very lacking in content and articulation. I understand that ROH is a proving ground of new talent but, I would have thought at least one of the promos would have been good…
What do you think?
I think that ROH is not long for this world, to be honest. ROH did, at one point, have a superb roster, of the cream of the indy scene. But then that cream got taken off by WWE and TNA, and the guys who came up to fill in the gaps didn’t quite fill them fully. Issues with booking and ownership haven’t helped, as ROH has had major issues with switching horses at the worst time.
Certainly I think the talent they have now, apart from a few notable exceptions (S.C.U.M mainly) are great in the ring, but have little talent on the mic. And you can argue that they haven’t been shown in the best light. But overall, I think ROH’s problems are more with the management and the booking than the talent. I may not like some of the guys based on what I’ve heard, but they are talented, and they should be, while not challenging the big guys, they should stable. But they aren’t.
It would not surprise me at all if by this time next year, CHIKARA is the official #3, and ROH’s library is owned by WWE. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can laugh at me about that at this time next year.
Nightwolf has questions and takes umbrage.
Before I get to my questions, I would like to challenge your statement from last week. I don’t think if Vince sold the WWE and bought another wrestling promotion he could kill the WWE. Come on, do you honestly think that anybody will ever more popular or lager than life then Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steven Austin? I don’t think so. He would have to do something really stupid in order for him to kill WWE.
Ah, I didn’t say he’d be able to do it, rather that on some level he’d like to. If Vince was offered a stupid amount of money to sell WWE, he’d do it, and then I can see him then looking to take down whoever it was that bought him out, maybe force WWE down and then buy it back for a fraction of what he paid for it… That would be very sweet to Vince’s mind. Not saying he’d be able to, or that he will, just that he wouldn’t mind that.
Anyways onto my questions
1. Do you feel that Triple H taking over the WWE is a blessing in disguise? I mean he was a wrestler first, so he understands what needs to be done in order to make the WWE alot better.
I’m cautiously optimistic. What I’ve seen of him, in terms of the talent he’s gone after, I approve of. OK, so far his batting average isn’t perfect (Sin Cara is only now slowly but surely getting the hang of things, and Kharma… yeah.) but I think that. If he runs the company as a whole like he has talent so far, things should improve. But then again, in wrestling the very best booker is the one you’re about to hire…
2. Why was the 4 Horsemen the longest running Stable in professional wrestling history? Why were there so many incarnations of the 4 Horsemen?
Because WCW liked to beat a dead horse.
And that sadly doesn’t deserve even a fraction of a Chandler.
The Four Horsemen made a great deal of money in their first incarnation, and then when they had to swap members, at first it continued to be as hot and make money. Swapping Ole for Luger and then Barry, they continued to make a great deal of money and put on great matches and storylines. And then they reformed just so they could bring Sting in, only so they could kick him out and thus set up Sting winning the title off Flair.
But that gave them precedent. That ‘proved’, for a given value, that they could reform the Horsemen and Flair and Arn would make it work, that anyone could be a Horseman. And so followed paler and paler imitations.
But yeah, WCW wasn’t one to let an idea die just because it was old, if they felt it could make money, they’d kick and kick. Bischoff was the exception, as he fought against it, but was eventually talked into bringing them back, although he then sabotaged it right quick.
But yeah, WWF would have let it die, but NWA/WCW saw money in it, no matter how many times it got trotted out. So they kept trotting it out.
3. Whose genius idea was it to make Steve ” Mongo” Mcmichael a member of the 4 horsemen? That was the worse mistake they could have made.
… No, sorry, Paul Roma is the right answer to worst mistake there.
Now then;
(Yes, I’m about to defend Mongo.)
Mongo was not a great wrestler. He sucked as a wrestler. Sure. But the thing is, he was passible on the mic, and, most importantly, the guy had heat when he joined, and could actually hold his own as a heel character. If they had stuck him on the apron for a year teaming with Benoit and/or Pillman, used him as the muscle for the group, AND, more importantly, had he been allowed to remain as a heel, had the nWo not forced everyone to become a face by default, he’d be remembered better.
Again, he deserves every appearance in Botchamania he gets. But the guy fit with the Horsemen’s stated lifestyle, could talk, sorta, and was a big guy who could beat you up, if you didn’t confuse him.
Mongo was not Barry. Sure as hell wasn’t Tully, the true heart of the team in my mind. Hell, he’s not even Ole. But he could, given a different set of circumstances, become an acceptable guy. But it didn’t happen, and so he’s now a punchline.
But Roma’s forever worse.
Shamus has little faith in my time-keeping. Fair enough too…
Hi. Really enjoy the column.
So my question is what is time keepers point? I get it in the old day when it was to make the fights seem legitimate, but at this point it dosent seem to have any reason. Does the any company actually use the times for anything? And who are the time keepers? Are they random staff, however was free that night, or are they always the same specific people?
Thanks if you ever answer this,
WWE has specific time keepers. Mark Yeaton is the long serving time keeper for WWE, and has been there since 1984 and is still doing the job, which for those keeping track means Mark is now in his 28th year of employment with the company. He does have other tasks in the company, but he’s the official time keeper for the company, and was the guy who ‘(rang) the fucking bell’ in Montreal. You can follow his highly original twitter handle here, although his bio is pretty cool.
As for the reason, while WWE may not be 100% trying to seem legit any more, while there is a nod and a wink, some standards still have to be maintained. You have to have a ref, there are rules, and someone has to keep track of the time and ring the bell.
And WWE does keep track of times. They have their own records, so they know who worked who where and what happened, and if they end up having to tell a story, they can bust out stats if/when they need them. It’s information that 99% of the time is useless, but occasionally they will need to know, so someone has to keep track of it. Plus it does give some continuality to the whole ‘Wrestling’ thing…
JJ asks about the Rumble.
Thanks for always taking the time to answer my question, even if it’s a dumb one or one that has been asked in the past. My question is about this year’s royal rumble. I know it’s asking you about future booking, but hopefully that’s OK.
Let’s say, for sake of argument, that WWE did not want to go with someone who had “recently” won (recent meaning since Cena won in ’08, I believe). That would eliminate Cena, Orton, Edge (who wouldn’t compete anyway), Del Rio and Sheamus. Now, certain people who could use the “Rumble push” are locked up in tag teams – Daniel Bryan and Cody Rhodes spring to mind. And someone like Big Show certainly doesn’t need the win at this point (besides the fact that at time of writing he is the champion, he doesn’t seem like a fresh face to the main event field). Much as I might like someone like a Zack Ryder to win, he’s obviously light years away, and even someone like Kofi Kingston seems like a reach. Miz has had his championship moment in the past and does not seem like a likely winner, and Dolph, who would be a great choice, is presently holding the money in the bank briefcase.
I feel, then, that this leads to a few choices: Wade Barrett (whose absence at Wrestlemania last year forced WWE to scrap Money in the Bank being at the event); Ryback; and a returning Brock Lesnar, who could use the win to challenge for a title or challenge the Undertaker’s streak. Which of these do you see as being the most likely, or do you feel someone else is the more likely winner? Thanks as always for your time!
I love questions about future booking. No chance of being right or wrong, chance to flex the creative muscles, it’s all good.
Anyway, out of the three options you propose, the only one see holding water is Ryback, if they were going to feed Dolph to him at Wrestlemania. Wade doesn’t really fit into either picture right now, and Lesnar’s not winning, as I still feel it’s Lesnar/HHH at WM.
But honestly, I think this Rumble is something of a foregone conclusion, as your winner is the man who ‘injured’ his leg this last Raw, John Cena. The booking here is so painfully obvious but inevitable. Rock beats Punk. Cena wins Rumble. WM is Rock/Cena 2: Electric Boogaloo. It’s the World Title that will be slightly more unpredictable. Ziggler defending against Sheamus? Three way with them and Show? Orton V Show? Kane V Bryan? Plenty of options.
Keith asks about a personal favourite of mine.
Hey, love the column thought id ask a few questions about William Regal:
1. Why has Regal never won the major titles? He’s extremely talented both in the ring and on the mic.
That is a question I’ve often asked myself. I picked him a while back as the most underutilized wrestler in history, in a victory so massive, it killed the segment that I was being featured in.
That said, as good as Regal is, he’s seen the dark side of the business as well. Regal has been seen as a risk. I mean, to follow your next question…
2. I think it was 2008 or 09 that Regal became gm and king of the ring. Do you know what the e had planned for him? If he didn’t get a wellness violation do you think he would have become a long term gm or authority figure?
That was the example of the Regal problem. William Regal seemed set for a massive push, as he was GM and King of the Ring…
And then he got self-conscious about how he looked since he was getting a push, and so he ordered some drugs, got caught, and we’re where we are now.
WWE has never come out and said where they were going, however I do believe that it was building to a World Title win at Summerslam. But I have nothing solid to base that on. But it did seem like they were building up an abuse of power angle, which would lead to him being stripped of his position as GM because of it and forcing him to become a full time wrestler, as it were. Shame it never happened…
But yeah, Regal just seemed like a guy who the people in charge didn’t see as main event because of his look or style, or they saw him as a risk due to his history. And now, while it’s certainly possible he could be World Champ, I don’t think anyone would judge it likely…
*starts making ‘Regal for Rumble Winner!’ banners*
Joshua asks about respect by grabbing a guy’s inner thigh.
So I get the idea behind hooking someones leg in a pinfall attempt, it makes it harder to kick out. Every time someone hits their finisher to end a match they always hook the leg, even if that’s the planned finish. My question is this, would NOT hooking the leg in the planned pinfall finish bee seen as disrespectful? If Ryback hit Shellshock on CM Punk, covered him without a leg hook and won, could that been see as disrespect (by the Boys) by Ryback? Damion Sandow at first didn’t hook the leg after his finisher, he had that cover/pose. He doesn’t do that anymore. Just wondering if this is a thing?
Each locker room is different, and you never know ahead of time what will and won’t annoy people in it. Every wrestler has a different opinion as to what is and isn’t respectful. And they also have a different opinion as to what people should and shouldn’t do for other guys. So it is entirely possible that some guys in the WWE locker room would take offence at such a situation. But overall, it’s not a thing that’s thought of as respect, more just of working.
Hooking the leg implies some basic knowledge of psychology and storytelling, in that you’re looking to win the match, and it is established in wrestling logic that hooking a leg makes it harder to kick out. (Same reason I tend to pull tights on every pinfall I can). So not hooking the leg would normally imply that the person involved hasn’t quite grasped the concept.
Unless they are getting pushed, however. If you are being pushed, then you don’t have to hook the leg, as the entire point is to make you look good, and in fact not hooking the leg is better in that case, as it shows that you’re just so big and strong (or smart and talented as the case may be) that you can beat a guy without bothering to cover properly. And that then means that when you DO hook the leg, you’re trying a little harder, so the other guy is very much in trouble now.
So, no, hooking the leg comes down to the psychology of the situation. It can be warranted to not hook, but if you don’t, it’s more that you’re not learning rather than you’re disrespectful. Probably, unless someone has a bug up their ass about you.
Sea Breeze Bedhead Barbasol is up next, even if he sounds like some sort of bedroom air fragrance…
Does anybody have any insight on what Undertaker is up to nowadays. He
essentially works a handful of days a year. What the heck is he up now
that he is primarily retired?
To take a wild stab in the dark, I’d say he’s looking after his new child. He married Michelle McCool in 2010 and at the end of August this year the couple had a baby, Kaia Faith Calaway, which I hope is a female name. But coming from the country where Abcde was apparently one of the more popular girl’s names last year, I’m not judging anything.
But yeah, I would wager he’s spending most of his time caring for his new kid, and just being a husband and father and man about the house. And recovering.
Maybe he and Edge can go fishing or something.
After a very long car trip for one of them.
What five retired wrestlers do you think could still make a full time
return to the ring and still be a reasonable draw. Take into account
if they retired for injury purposes such as Steve Austin or Edge who I
left off my list. I’m not saying retire and become as profitable as a
John Cena or Hulk Hogan, but could be a solid B or B+ contributor once
a week. This does not include Jericho, Booker T, Undertaker or HHH. My
list would be…
1. Rock
2. HBK
3. Ricky Steamboat
4. Goldberg
5. Tazz
OK…
Well obviously Rock is the first choice, the dude is around maybe a dozen times a year and is making a hell of a lot of money for WWE with just that, him every week would, theoretically, make more money. Same with HBK as the number 2, that’s an obvious one that could probably still go, but chooses not to, which is totally fair enough, guys are allowed to retire if they want.
At that point we disagree, although Goldberg I’ll bring up to third, in that he’s probably not in the exact same shape, and Goldberg in the midcard probably wouldn’t’ work, but I’d have him if I could sign him.
As for the last two… Steamboat I’d like to put but I’m not sure would fly, and Tazz’s neck is BAD dude, no way he could step back in. So instead, I’ll go with Lance Storm and Monty Brown, with Sonny Siaki as a back up. Storm could so be the Regal/Finlay guy, the agent/wrestler, and unless Monty Brown has let himself go, he’s still as guy who could make a big impact if allowed to.
But what do you readers think? Let me know below, and we can discuss it next week! Until then faithful readers…
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