The WWE and Pro-Wrestling Thread

[Kliqonator]

Man, they were great...Saturday nights, Von Erich's vs the Freebirds and you thought you were in heaven...

Von Erich's and the Freebirds was one of the greatest feuds ever.

[calean007]

Frankly, I always hated the Freebirds back then because they were the bad guys, but as I got older, I appreciated them more. Kind of like I appreciate Triple H now. What a total heel, but he does it so well....Terry Gordy was the same way, even if a bit overweight, but that's how it was back then.

You know, they did a documentary here in the local area on the Von Erich's, I believe Mike is the only one left now. Gave some really good insight to the whole business...

[Kliqonator]

Frankly, I always hated the Freebirds back then because they were the bad guys, but as I got older, I appreciated them more. Kind of like I appreciate Triple H now. What a total heel, but he does it so well....Terry Gordy was the same way, even if a bit overweight, but that's how it was back then.

You know, they did a documentary here in the local area on the Von Erich's, I believe Mike is the only one left now. Gave some really good insight to the whole business...

Yeah, I've seen the documentary. Fritz Von Erich passed away a couple of years ago. Actually, it's Kevin Von Erich who is the only one left. He's been out of the business for a long time.

Terry Gordy was a crazy heel. But I always like Michael "PS" Hayes. He was the flamboyant heel (like Ric Flair, HBK) and the one who would always take the big bumps.

[bandit29]

Last night's RAW.....hmm it was alright. The only thing Randy Orton proved last night is that he doesn't like girls/women...who ever came up with that segment is an idiot...HHH?

Edited March 22, 2005 by dejr8bud

[calean007]

Last night's RAW.....hmm it was alright. The only thing Randy Orton proved last night is that he doesn't like girls/women...who ever came up with that segment is an idiot...HHH?

So Orton is now a shitpacker?

[Kliqonator]

Last night's RAW.....hmm it was alright. The only thing Randy Orton proved last night is that he doesn't like girls/women...who ever came up with that segment is an idiot...HHH?

So Orton is now a shitpacker?

Heh, no. Orton RKO'd Stacy Keibler last night to "show" how fearless he is of the Undertaker. I saw that one coming the moment Orton asked her to go to the ring with him. I thought it was funny.

Edited March 22, 2005 by Kliqonator

[calean007]

Oh, the way he made it sound it sounded like another gay thing.....

Stacy Keibler...there's someone every man would love to mount...

[areaseven]

Stacy Keibler...there's someone every man would love to mount...

Yeah, and that's what made David Flair the luckiest S.O.B. for a while.

[Kliqonator]

Stacy Keibler...there's someone every man would love to mount...

Yeah, and that's what made David Flair the luckiest S.O.B. for a while.

Now there is a name I haven't heard from in a while. David Flair. Yes, he did get to have "Ms. Hancock" for a while, didn't he?

[bandit29]

Oh, the way he made it sound it sounded like another gay thing.....

Stacy Keibler...there's someone every man would love to mount...

Exactly. That's why Randy Orton is gay lol. He'd rather beat her up. A lame, predictable segment. I wonder if the Undertaker will job to him.

Props to the camera man who shot up Stacy's legs..

Hey when's Matt Hardy coming back? We need a grude match vs Edge. Lita can be suspended above the ring in a cage lol

[areaseven]

The latest WrestleMania commercial features various Superstars imitating Robert De Niro and using his famous line from Taxi Driver:

Heidenreich: "Are you talkin' to me! Are you talkin' to Heidenreich! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!"

Director: "Cut!"

--

Director: "You talkin' to me?"

Batista: "Yeah, I'm talking to you. What's the line?"

Director: "You talkin' to me?"

Batista: "Forget it."

Throughout the duration of the commercial, Batista doesn't realize that's the line he's supposed to say.

--

Tajiri: "Ore da no?"

--

The Basham Brothers: "Are you tallkin' to us?"

--

Snitsky: "You talkin' to me - "

(Kitchen prop in background falls off wall.)

Snitsky: "That wasn't my fault!"

--

When the Big Show tries his part, the camera only gets his chest, he rips the jacket and the boom mic falls on him.

--

Carlito Caribbean Cool is supposed to point, but instead, he grabs an apple from his pocket and bites on it.

Director: "Lose the apple!"

Carlito spits the apple.

Carlito: "That's not cool."

--

Big Show: "All right, camera, jacket, mic ready. Let's do it."

Director: "And..."

Screen flashes to WrestleMania logo.

Director: "And that's a wrap!"

Furious over not getting a chance to take his turn, Show slams a production crew member through the stage. Later, Batista returns to what's left of the stage.

Crew Member: "Can I help you?"

Batista: "You talkin' to me?"

Edited April 7, 2005 by areaseven

[Kliqonator]

The latest WrestleMania commercial features various Superstars imitating Robert De Niro and using his famous line from Taxi Driver:

Director: "You talkin' to me?"

Batista: "Yeah, so what's the line?"

That was actually hilarious! I mean, it was clear that was the way it was supposed to be done, but it was hilarious! Batista sold it really well, made it come accross as a genuine blooper. Very well done, I thought.

[calean007]

You know, to switch gears for a moment, I've seriously been thinking of picking up Ric Flair's book "To be the man." I've heard it's a good read, and really gives a person a dose of reality of what it means to be a pro wrestler, especially coming up from what wrestling was back in the day, to what it is now.

I used to hate Flair too, just like the Freebirds, but his flamboyance and the signature, "wooo!" just grows on you if you catch my meaning. Sometimes when you think he's going to become a white wrestler, at the pinnacle moment he goes back to being a heel and you know you've been had...Truly amazing he is...

[Kliqonator]

You know, to switch gears for a moment, I've seriously been thinking of picking up Ric Flair's book "To be the man." I've heard it's a good read, and really gives a person a dose of reality of what it means to be a pro wrestler, especially coming up from what wrestling was back in the day, to what it is now.

I used to hate Flair too, just like the Freebirds, but his flamboyance and the signature, "wooo!" just grows on you if you catch my meaning. Sometimes when you think he's going to become a white wrestler, at the pinnacle moment he goes back to being a heel and you know you've been had...Truly amazing he is...

If there is anyone's career to read about, besides the Kliq, it's Ric Flair's. He has wrestled all over the world, defending the old NWA title. Additionally, the obstacles he went through when he was in the plane accident in 1975, that nearly ended his career, is probably a story worth reading on its own. He came back about a year or two later, better, to start his run at being a main eventer. That is truly an amazing story. It's sort of like Shawn Micahels' story, with his back injury, the only difference is that when HBK injured his back, he'd already made his mark and had his moment of fame and glory. Ric Flair hadn't. He had to come back, as still a relatively unkown name in the industry, and work his way from the bottom, to the top, after his back injury. That's one tough feat that I will always respect him for. Most people might have given up, deciding that it wasn't worth it, with the risks involved. But not only did Ric Flair stay in the game, he bumped more, and became a better performer after his back surgery. As you know, he would go on to be, in my opinion, the greatest of all time. "Nuff said.

[calean007]

There is no question that Flair is one of the greatest of all time. Really when you think about it, there are certain forms of entertainment where even in other countries people know your name. Some of the most noteable one's are:

Flair

Hulk Hogan

The Undertaker

Randy Savage

Shawn Michaels

Roddy Piper

Andre the Giant (RIP)

Think about this Kliq, we have all our professional football players, baseball players, etc and they are really famous here in the western world. But when you get over to other countries, have people heard about them? Yeah, they may have, but when you mention the name Hogan, or Flair, EVERYONE knows who they are and that is a powerful marketing tool for the WWE and sports entertainment in general.

Flair no doubt has paid his dues, and I would argue multiple times. I can remember him coming to my town and wrestling in a ring on a football field against Kerry von Erich. Not exactly glamorous settings, but he came out there in true nature boy fashion with all this flamboyance and that sequin robe with the words "Nature Boy" on the back and he just gave a sense that he was "the man." And you know what, he was, still is, and forever will be. Wrestling owes a lot to Ric Flair and to be as old as he is now and still in the business very much active is a testament to his work ethic, his skills as a performer, and what a class act he is. I've never met the man, but if I ever get that chance, I would shake his hand and say, "Thanks for the years of entertainment and memories. You are the man!"

[Kliqonator]

I can remember him coming to my town and wrestling in a ring on a football field against Kerry von Erich. Not exactly glamorous settings, but he came out there in true nature boy fashion with all this flamboyance and that sequin robe with the words "Nature Boy" on the back and he just gave a sense that he was "the man."

Heh, you think those were "not exactly glamorous" settings? Ric Flair has wrestled in places like Puerto Rico, and the Carribean, where fans have been known to stab heel wrestlers because they hate them that much.

Ric Flair has also wrestled in the high school gyms, but putting on a full show, nonetheless. That's respect.

[areaseven]

From the pages of TopWrestling.com:

- Kenzo Suzuki and Hiroko are no longer on the SmackDown! roster page. Suzuki is in the injury list with a collapsed lung, but that doesn't mean his profile should be taken down.

- With WWE leaving SpikeTV, there are now rumors of NWA-TNA taking over the cable channel's Monday night timeslot. Jeff Jarrett met with Viacom executives late last week.

- There are rumors of Diva/Playboy Playmate Rochelle Loewen leaving the WWE. Apparently, she has issues with Randy Orton (but then again, who doesn't?). As a matter of fact, Orton was the main reason Amy Weber (another Playmate) left WWE early this year.

And look who just wound up in jail again...

Booking No. 2005006133

Edited March 29, 2005 by areaseven

[Hubert]

Flair is a good bad guy, but when he is in the ring he is a complete joke. Moreover, when he gets angry, he gets sooo red , one day his dead will explose or he will have a hearth attack.

how long last raw on tv in usa ? and for real ?

in france, it's less about 1 hour on tv and it s the always the same guys so i may miss something, where are the diva ??

it's a half-time job for them or what ? all the wrestler take part to the show each week or it's just half of them ?

otherwise, will we see edge & lita tag team soon ? ...

[Kliqonator]

With WWE leaving SpikeTV, there are now rumors of NWA-TNA taking over the cable channel's Monday night timeslot. Jeff Jarrett met with Viacom executives late last week.

Wow, could we possibly be going into a new era of Monday Night Wars? That would be so farting awesome!

And look who just wound up in jail again...

Do you know what for, this time? Does anyone remember when Lex Luger was actually appealing to watch in the ring? How the times have changed.

Flair is a good bad guy, but when he is in the ring he is a complete joke. Moreover, when he gets angry, he gets sooo red , one day his dead will explose or he will have a hearth attack.

Ric Flair has suffered a stroke, I believe it was, before on live TV. It happened on an episode of WCW Monday Nitro, years ago, he was going crazy on the mic, and he supposedly had a mild stroke.

[areaseven]

Do you know what for, this time? Does anyone remember when Lex Luger was actually appealing to watch in the ring? How the times have changed.

He got booked for failing to pay child support to his ex-wife. *Yawn*

[areaseven]

Earlier tonight on SmackDown!:

- Tazz was not on the show as his father passed away. Filling in for Tazz was Jerry "The King" Lawler.

- Paul London won the Cruiserweight battle royal after executing a sloppy leg-scissors throw on Billy Kidman.

- Cowboy Bob Orton pleaded to the Undertaker not to face Randy Orton. This only set UT up for an RKO. Yawn.

- Angle gave Josh Matthews a beating. Double-yawn.

- Akebono showed some jobber how sumo wrestling works. Triple-yawn.

- JBL had Cena arrested for vandalizing his limo last week. If this is SmackDown!'s way of preparing for WrestleMania, then get those futons fluffed up this Sunday night.

[areaseven]

Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story

WWE Home Video, 2004

Running Time: 6 hours total

Rated TV-14 for graphic violence, mature situations and mild language.

Heavily inspired by wrestling superstar The Dynamite Kid, Edmonton native Chris Benoit travelled to Calgary to train in the famous Hart Dungeon in hopes of making a name for himself in the ring. His hard work and determination first brought him to Japan, where he donned a mask and called himself "The Pegasus Kid," shortly defeating Jushin "Thunder" Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Then, he ventured to Philadelphia, where he became infamously known in ECW as "The Crippler" after dropping Sabu head-first on the mat. After some success in WCW as a member of the Four Horsemen, Benoit jumped to the WWF, where he became an even bigger superstar before a neck injury in 2001 put his career on hold. Rebounding from surgery, Benoit made his way to WrestleMania XX in 2004, when he defeated Triple-H to become the World Champion.

If there's only one WWE biography DVD worth buying, this would be it. Hard Knocks takes a close look at Chris Benoit's career as the best technical wrestler in the squared circle. This documentary features interviews with the Rabid Wolverine himself, along with Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko and many of Benoit's family members and friends. Benoit talks about how he grew up in the world of wrestling and how various events affected his life - from his infamous altercations with Kevin Sullivan to the tragic death of Owen Hart. His matches with the likes of Guerrero, Jericho and Bret "Hitman" Hart made him a well-respected wrestler. However, it's his numerous feuds with Kurt Angle that made wrestling fans take notice of his full potential. From there, he went on to conquer both the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania in 2004 to become one of the WWE's greatest champions.

Never mind that he's reduced to mid-card level, thanks to HHH's overinflated ego. Chris Benoit still remains the best in the business, and this DVD is a must-buy for anyone into wrestling.

Rating: A

DVD Extras: A-

The two-disc set includes a collection of Benoit's greatest matches from Japan, ECW, WCW and WWE. The Japanese matches come with your choice of the original commentaries, alternate commentaries by Michael Cole and Tazz (thus sounding like an episode of SmackDown!) or commentaries by Benoit, Malenko and Todd Grisham. Take note that Benoit's entrance themes in ECW and WCW have been heavily altered.

[areaseven]

Time for the official WrestleMania 21 card and my predictions:

World Heavyweight Championship: Triple-H vs. Batista

- Yes, Batista will win. And no, he won't hold it for long. Obviously, HHH will chalk up one more title reign on his road to beating Ric Flair's all-time record.

WWE Heavyweight Championship: John Bradshaw Layfield vs. John Cena

- Of course, Cena's gonna win.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Christian vs. Kane

- I want Benoit to win this one, but it won't happen. Expect either Edge or Kane to grab the briefcase.

Undertaker vs. Randy Orton

- Chokeslam. Tombstone. 1-2-3. Orton is done this Sunday.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle

- It'll be a grueling match, but HBK will win this one.

WWE Women's Championship: Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme

- Even if Trish beats Christy, no one's gonna care about this match.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

- The match will end in a no-contest, as the Basham Brothers will interfere.

Sumo Match: Big Show vs. Akebono

- Who cares?

[UN Spacy]

Don't forget.

Pipers Pit with Rowdy "Roddy" Piper featuring Special Guest Stone Cold Steve Austin.

[MGREXX]

A bunch of guys talking about big, hairy and sweaty men rubbing and touching each other. Okay!!

[valk1j]

Time for the official WrestleMania 21 card and my predictions:

World Heavyweight Championship: Triple-H vs. Batista

- Yes, Batista will win. And no, he won't hold it for long. Obviously, HHH will chalk up one more title reign on his road to beating Ric Flair's all-time record.

WWE Heavyweight Championship: John Bradshaw Layfield vs. John Cena

- Of course, Cena's gonna win.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Christian vs. Kane

- I want Benoit to win this one, but it won't happen. Expect either Edge or Kane to grab the briefcase.

Undertaker vs. Randy Orton

- Chokeslam. Tombstone. 1-2-3. Orton is done this Sunday.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle

- It'll be a grueling match, but HBK will win this one.

WWE Women's Championship: Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme

- Even if Trish beats Christy, no one's gonna care about this match.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

- The match will end in a no-contest, as the Basham Brothers will interfere.

Sumo Match: Big Show vs. Akebono

- Who cares?

I would actually like to see JBL win. Every time I see Cena, I can't help but think Vanilla Ice.

The only match on this card I want to see is Angle vs. HBK.

Big Show vs. Akebono - if real, Akebono wins, if written, it will be some sort of draw.

The ladder match may be good, but I hope Kane doesn't win.

HHH needs to lose and not regain the title until next year.

[areaseven]

HHH needs to lose and not regain the title until next year.

Sorry, won't happen anytime soon, as he is Vinnie Mac's son-in-law.

[j_wong00]

A7, looking at the list (some names I recognize, more the a few I don't), are the WWF really stretched for ideas?

Those types I remember seeing them many moons ago... and I haven't watched since the mid late 80s.

[UN Spacy]

Wrestlemania XXI just started!

[Apollo Leader]

Any results to report yet?

BTW, who saw the WWE hall of fame induction ceremony on Spike last night? It's been a few years since I've watched a WWE program all the way through, but since the main focus was on Hogan and Piper, I had to watch for the nostalgia value. I did notice that they were referring to Hogan throughout most of the program as Hulk Hogan, so did Vince and company resolve the copyrights issues with Marvel?

[UN Spacy]

Any results to report yet?

BTW, who saw the WWE hall of fame induction ceremony on Spike last night?  It's been a few years since I've watched a WWE program all the way through, but since the main focus was on Hogan and Piper, I had to watch for the nostalgia value.   I did notice that they were referring to Hogan throughout most of the program as Hulk Hogan, so did Vince and company resolve the copyrights issues with Marvel?

Mysterio beat Guerrero.

Taker beat Orton.

Edge won the Six Man Match.

Angle beat HBK.

Trish beat Christy.

Akebono beat Big Show.

Cena beat JBL = New WWE Champion

Batista beat Triple H = New WWE Heavyweight Champion

Plus.

Stone Cold gave Stunners to Roddy Piper and Carlito Cool.

Hulk Hogan absolutely destroyed Mohammed Hassan.

Vinnie Mac is there (along with celebrities like Adam Sandler and Rob Schnieder).

Final thoughts. Overall I'd rate it a 7/10. If it weren't for the GREAT Angle versus HBK fight I'd rate it a LOT lower. Hogan and Stone Cold's apperances could've been a little longer. Same for the WWE Championship match. because it was WAY too short.

Edited April 4, 2005 by UN Spacy

[areaseven]

Time for a detailed recap of WrestleMania 21

The show started with a montage of the trailers that played within the past month. Then, a new trailer was released. This one featured Stone Cold Steve Austin taking the role of Russell Crowe in Gladiator.

Austin: "My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin. And I came here to raise some hell."

Rey Mysterio used a hurrancarana/small package combo to pin Eddie Guerrero.

Money in the Bank - Ladder Match

Pound for pound, this was the match of the night. If you put Chris benoit in a ladder match, there's no doubt that he'll do a diving headbutt from a ladder. And that he did, reopening his forehead gash after destroying Kane with the headbutt. He would've won the match, had not Edge used a steel chair on his injured arm. In the end, Edge pulled the briefcase from the top of the ring.

Eugene made a surprise appearance. He talked about being at a WrestleMania. Then, Muhammad Hassan and his manager appeared and attacked him, locking him in the camel clutch. Hulk Hogan ran in and destroyed the Arab-Americans before doing his trademark shirt-rip and poses.

Legend vs. Legend-Killer

Despite interference from Cowboy Bob Orton and his forearm cast (it's 1985 all over again!), Undertaker made Randy Orton rest in peace.

Icon vs. Olympic Hero

Kurt Angle made Shawn Michaels tap out in a match that lasted over 25 minutes.

Piper's Pit

Rowdy Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin slapped each other until Carlito Caribbean Cool arrived, bragging about how "cool" he is. After Austin destroyed Carlito, he shared beers with Piper before giving him a Stunner.

Sumo Match

Akebono shoved Big Show out of the ring.

WWE Heavyweight Championship

John Cena did the F-U on John Bradshaw Layfield to become the new WWE Champion.

WWE Women's Championship

Trish Stratus landed the Chick Kick on Christy Hemme to retain the title.

World Heavyweight Championship

Batista landed the Batista Bomb on Triple-H to become the new champion. Love him or hate him, you gotta admit that HHH's Motorhead entrance kicked ass.

[Hubert]

the win of batista is not a big surprise.

no surprise for trish, akebono and undertaker neither...

i m disapointed by the result of hbk vs angle, and mostly by the win of edge .

[bandit29]

Didn't see any of Wrestlemania but the WWE is headed back to USA network for 3 years starting this October.

corporate.wwe.com

NEW YORK, NY, and STAMFORD, Conn., April 4, 2005 - World Wrestling Entertainment® and NBC Universal have inked a new, three-year agreement that will return WWE cable programming, including ratings titan Monday Night RAW®, to USA Network beginning in October 2005, it was announced today by Linda McMahon, WWE CEO, and Bonnie Hammer, president, USA Network and SCI FI Channel. RAW, a cable mainstay for more than 12 years, continues to be the most watched regularly scheduled year-round program on ad-supported cable television

[areaseven]

Earlier tonight on the Triple-H Show:

- Randy Orton's excuse for losing to the Undertaker was that his left shoulder gave up when he attempted to tombstone the Dead Man. He was then granted a match against Batista.

- Following a groundbreaking ladder match at WrestleMania 21, Y2J, Shelton Benjamin and Christian stole the show with a fast-paced triple-threat match.

- With briefcase in hand, Edge is really picking up with his heel gimmick. I don't care what others think - you're looking at the next champion.

- I really don't see HBK putting Muhammad Hassan over at all.

- Austin made a return appearance by punking out Maven and Simon Dean.

- Wow...Orton just dropped below jobber status after this episode.

- And, as usual, HHH killed majority of the show by yapping his mouth.

BTW, I reported earlier that Bret "Hitman" Hart was on hand at RVD's 5-Star Comics, raising speculation that he was to appear at WrestleMania. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, as he flew back to Calgary before the show. What was the whole point of him being in L.A. in the first place?