The WWE and Pro-Wrestling Thread

[areaseven]

Well, looks like dejr8bud's wish has been granted. The latest inductee to the 2005 WWE Hall of Fame is none other than the Hulkster. Kinda coincidental that he's with five of his greatest rivals in his career (namely Rowdy Roddy Piper, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik and Cowboy Bob Orton).

Anyway, on to this week in wrestling. This past Monday on RAW:

- Hogan being inducted to the Hall of Fame was one bombshell. The second was the return of Piper's Pit at WrestleMania - with Austin as special guest.

- Pick up next month's issue of Playboy magazine for Christy Hemme's exclusive pictorial. But then again, does anyone care about the WWE Divas anymore?

- HHH is such a pussy (but then again, we knew that already). He claimed he was going to beat Batista within a minute of his life. But nothing happened. Batista destroyed Flair in the ring, and HHH did nothing.

A bit OT, but since Playboy was mentioned on this report, I thought I'd drop by their official site for the scoop on Christy Hemme. Well, nothing much yet, but...

WTF?!? Debbie Gibson posed nude?

[Agent ONE]

...

WTF?!? Debbie Gibson posed nude?

Yep... I am a fan again.

[bandit29]

...

WTF?!? Debbie Gibson posed nude?     

Yep... I am a fan again.

Ya and it sucked. What a boring layout. Debbie Gibson has nothing going on.

Now the Jillian Grace layout was worth looking at

[bandit29]

Well, looks like dejr8bud's wish has been granted. The latest inductee to the 2005 WWE Hall of Fame is none other than the Hulkster. Kinda coincidental that he's with five of his greatest rivals in his career (namely Rowdy Roddy Piper, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik and Cowboy Bob Orton).

Anyway, on to this week in wrestling. This past Monday on RAW:

- Hogan being inducted to the Hall of Fame was one bombshell. The second was the return of Piper's Pit at WrestleMania - with Austin as special guest.

- Pick up next month's issue of Playboy magazine for Christy Hemme's exclusive pictorial. But then again, does anyone care about the WWE Divas anymore?

- HHH is such a pussy (but then again, we knew that already). He claimed he was going to beat Batista within a minute of his life. But nothing happened. Batista destroyed Flair in the ring, and HHH did nothing.

A bit OT, but since Playboy was mentioned on this report, I thought I'd drop by their official site for the scoop on Christy Hemme. Well, nothing much yet, but...

WTF?!? Debbie Gibson posed nude?

lol they must have heard my bitching lol I'm sure other fans were bitching as well.

I don't like the guy but some of the best feuds in the 80's were Hogan vs Piper & Orndorff w/ Bobby Heenan.

[areaseven]

...

WTF?!? Debbie Gibson posed nude?     

Yep... I am a fan again.

I guess I'm not alone (former DGIF member #11994).

On to other news. WWE has the latest celebrity couple to go Splitsville. Maybe Lita really is dating Kane...

Earlier this week, we confirmed relationship trouble between Matt Hardy and Amy "Lita" Dumas. Hardy had photos of Lita taken down from his official website, and when emailed inquiries about the situation, told fans to "ask Lita" why the pictures were taken down. Undoubtedly, this implied a problematic relationship.

According to fans on Matt Hardy's message board (TheMattHardy.com), Hardy fans did indeed ask Lita about the situation at a public appearance. Sure enough, she confirmed there are problems in the relationship.

At this point, the official reason for trouble is not yet known. There are rumors going around, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what those rumors might be, but nothing of any weight has made rounds.

And don't expect to hear, "Finally, The Rock HAS COME BACK! to [insert city name here]" any time soon.

The Rock appeared on Live With Regis & Kelly this morning and spoke on a number of subjects, including his WWE career.

Specifically, Rock stated that even though he had a great career with WWE, he is contractually done with the company and looking to move on.

He also talked about the role in 'Be Cool' being written specifically with him in mind and getting punked by Ashton Kuthcer.

Also, what does WWE really see in Muhammad Hassan?

For those of you who watched Muhammad Hassan vs. Chris Benoit on Monday's RAW, you will have noticed there seemed to be a problem toward the finish, when Benoit hit his flying headbutt onto Hassan, who was holding the ring bell.

The original schedule for the match would have been seen Chris Benoit hit the ringbell when he attempted the flying headbutt, allowing Hassan to get the pin.

Hassan didn't have the bell in the correct position so WWE quickly changed things backstage to change the ending of the match to a DQ finish.

Management were apparently unhappy with the finish of the match as they wanted to push Hassan's undefeated streak. There has been some talk that Hassan may face Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 21 but take that rumor with a pinch of salt right now.

And the next WrestleMania will be held at the AllState Arena in Chicago, IL. dejr8bud, are you gonna get tickets for next year?

[bandit29]

I might go. I haven't been to a Wrestlmania since the second one in 1985...ugh I'm old lol. Thanks for the heads up.

[areaseven]

I might go. I haven't been to a Wrestlmania since the second one in 1985...ugh I'm old lol. Thanks for the heads up.

Cool. BTW, I noticed that the AllState Arena (formerly Rosemont Horizon) has hosted WWF shows for several decades. How come WWE hasn't moved to a newer venue like the United Center? Here in L.A., WWF used to host shows at the Sports Arena, but went on to the newer and larger Staples Center (former WCW stomping grounds).

[bandit29]

I might go. I haven't been to a Wrestlmania since the second one in 1985...ugh I'm old lol. Thanks for the heads up.

Cool. BTW, I noticed that the AllState Arena (formerly Rosemont Horizon) has hosted WWF shows for several decades. How come WWE hasn't moved to a newer venue like the United Center? Here in L.A., WWF used to host shows at the Sports Arena, but went on to the newer and larger Staples Center (former WCW stomping grounds).

I dunno why they haven't moved to the United Center. Much nicer place even after all the changes at the Rosemont Horizion/All State. I used to go to the WCW Monday Nitros at the UC. I haven't been to a Raw/Smackdown/house show in awhile.

WWF has been going to Horizion for years. I used to go to the house shows back in the 80's all the time. Saw matches like Hogan vs Piper(when it was good), Hogan vs the Macho Man, Ricky Steamboat vs Macho Man, Hart Foundation vs the British Bulldogs etc

AWA was also there. Saw the Road Warriors vs Larry the Ax & Curt Hennig in a table match. Also the RWs vs The Freebirds.

Now that I think about it I've been going to that arena a long time. Hell I saw Iron Maiden there in 1987 and 1988 w/Megadeth....

[NSJ23]

Here in L.A., WWF used to host shows at the Sports Arena, but went on to the newer and larger Staples Center (former WCW stomping grounds).

Hey A7, WCW never used staples center they had the Great western Forum

[areaseven]

Hey A7, WCW never used staples center. They had the Great western Forum

Actually, according to the TopWrestling staff, WCW used the Forum, but moved to Staples Center on their final year of existence.

[areaseven]

Last night on SmackDown!:

- Cena lost the U.S. title to Orlando Jordan. Finally, we can actually put that title to good use.

- On RAW, Angle attacked HBK after the street fight. During Angle's invitational, a local wrestler came in wearing a jacket with the hood covering his face. Angle thought it was HBK, but it wasn't. As Angle was asking the local who he was, a cameraman stepped into the ring. He put his camera down, removed his jacket and pulled out his fake mustache, revealing himself as HBK as he attacked Angle.

Also this week, WWE aired the worst WrestleMania commercial ever made. It was a parody of A Few Good Men, with John Cena playing the role of Tom Cruise and JBL playing Jack Nicholson's part.

[NSJ23]

Hey A7, WCW never used staples center. They had the Great western Forum

Actually, according to the TopWrestling staff, WCW used the Forum, but moved to Staples Center on their final year of existence.

Ok, I didn't follow WCW much in that last year, not until I heard that Vince was taking over. I had alway thought the first Wrestling show at Staples was the steph/Test/HHH wedding raw(I was there).

[areaseven]

This past Monday on RAW:

- Last week, Y2J proposed a ladder match for WrestleMania. This week, Bischoff approved that proposal and made it a six-man ladder match. On the line: a briefcase with a contract guaranteeing the winner a shot at the World title, whether it's the day after WM or next year's WM. The participants are Y2J, Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Edge, Christian and Kane.

- In an attempt to make an bigger impact, RKO challenged the Undertaker for a match at WM.

And now the WM commercials are just not funny anymore. The latest one features the Undertaker playing the role of Dirty Harry.

[areaseven]

This past Thursday on SmackDown!:

- JBL and Orlando Jordan destroyed Cena's U.S. title. For once, they actually did a good thing.

- Theodore R. Long ordered Carlito Caribbean Cool to find the Undertaker and ask him if he accepts Orton's challenge. UT accepted and, as usual, destroyed Carlito.

As far as WrestleMania goes, the only exciting match I see is the six-man ladder match. Batista will beat HHH, and Cena will beat JBL, but who cares? And will UT actually risk his undefeated WM streak and put Orton over?

[Kliqonator]

Also, what does WWE really see in Muhammad Hassan?

For those of you who watched Muhammad Hassan vs. Chris Benoit on Monday's RAW, you will have noticed there seemed to be a problem toward the finish, when Benoit hit his flying headbutt onto Hassan, who was holding the ring bell.

The original schedule for the match would have been seen Chris Benoit hit the ringbell when he attempted the flying headbutt, allowing Hassan to get the pin.

Hassan didn't have the bell in the correct position so WWE quickly changed things backstage to change the ending of the match to a DQ finish.

Management were apparently unhappy with the finish of the match as they wanted to push Hassan's undefeated streak. There has been some talk that Hassan may face Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 21 but take that rumor with a pinch of salt right now.

Hassan has alot of promise, I feel. His mic skills have been very solid and consistent. For the most part, his in-ring work has been pretty solid too. Granted, he does have a gimmick that makes it pretty easy to get heat, but the fact that he has been able to keep the heat and maintain it at the level that he has, shows that he does have talent.

And I believe that Hassan can indeed elevate onto main event material someday. Sure, the current gimmick will have to come to an end at some point, but he's clearly shown that he can play a great "a-hole" character, and he may end up being the next great heel.

[areaseven]

This week, WWE aired the latest WrestleMania 21 commercial, with Kurt Angle and Christy Hemme re-enacting the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally - complete with Angle talking nonsense and Christy faking an orgasm.

Linda McMahon: "I'll have what she's having."

[areaseven]

Hassan has alot of promise, I feel. His mic skills have been very solid and consistent. For the most part, his in-ring work has been pretty solid too. Granted, he does have a gimmick that makes it pretty easy to get heat, but the fact that he has been able to keep the heat and maintain it at the level that he has, shows that he does have talent.

And I believe that Hassan can indeed elevate onto main event material someday. Sure, the current gimmick will have to come to an end at some point, but he's clearly shown that he can play a great "a-hole" character, and he may end up being the next great heel.

Hassan the character may have potential, but how about Hassan the wrestler? Quite frankly, I'm not impressed with his in-ring abilities. Bad enough that Y2J had to put him over. Worse is that Benoit nearly did, and had Hassan not screwed up on positioning the ring bell before Benoit's diving headbutt, Benoit would've lost all credibility.

Let's just hope that Hassan doesn't end up like Tiger Ali Singh, who went on to sue WWE for racial discrimination (he claimed that other wrestlers used his turban as an ashtray and called him a "cab driver).

BTW, one of my colleagues over at TopWrestling.com called me and told me that back in 1998, he ran a backyard wrestling league. He just found out that a guy named Chris Masters wrestled in his show years before going pro and becoming "The Masterpiece."

[Kliqonator]

Hassan the character may have potential, but how about Hassan the wrestler? Quite frankly, I'm not impressed with his in-ring abilities. Bad enough that Y2J had to put him over. Worse is that Benoit nearly did, and had Hassan not screwed up on positioning the ring bell before Benoit's diving headbutt, Benoit would've lost all credibility.

Let's just hope that Hassan doesn't end up like Tiger Ali Singh, who went on to sue WWE for racial discrimination (he claimed that other wrestlers used his turban as an ashtray and called him a "cab driver).

BTW, one of my colleagues over at TopWrestling.com called me and told me that back in 1998, he ran a backyard wrestling league. He just found out that a guy named Chris Masters wrestled in his show years before going pro and becoming "The Masterpiece."

The botch with the ring bell is the only botch that I recall ever noticing. Aside from that, he's been doing a solid job. Additionally, he's been selling really well, when he's supposed to. That is the mark of a great heel. He's still young and he still needs more seasoning, but I think he does have the fundamental traits down, to one day, become a main event heel.

I agree with the Ali Singh thing. But Ali Singh had nowhere near the charisma that Hassan has. Hassan is just a natural on that mic and in that character. Ali Singh never really projected his character well, or as strongly.

[areaseven]

Well, nothing much happened this past week in the WWE. RAW featured the Rockers reunion and the surprise return of Jake "The Overweight, Balding Snake" Roberts. Meanwhile, on SmackDown!, Marty Jannetty proved to Angle that he still had a little fight in him in a match that ran for over 20 minutes.

[areaseven]

For those in the Los Angeles area, prepare for WrestleMania week at RVD's 5 Star Comics. The following superstars will make appearances at the store for autograph sessions:

Spike Dudley - March 30, 6-8 p.m.

Chris Benoit - March 31, 6-8 p.m.

Kane - April 1, 6-8 p.m.

And possibly the biggest bombshell before WrestleMania:

Bret "Hitman" Hart - April 2, 10-12 p.m.

You know what that means: He's gonna appear on the PPV.

[Kliqonator]

Well, nothing much happened this past week in the WWE. RAW featured the Rockers reunion

You know, I have to admit that I was actually a little impressed with Marty Janetty. I mean, I wasn't expecting him to be anything spectacular, but aside from the botched flip following the double elbow drop, I thought he did a pretty decent job in there. I really didn't think he would even be that good.

So with Spike TV bailing out of the negotiations, and the likeliness that they'll be going back to USA, does anyone think that WWE programming will revert to the quality they had during the first USA run?

[areaseven]

So with Spike TV bailing out of the negotiations, and the likeliness that they'll be going back to USA, does anyone think that WWE programming will revert to the quality they had during the first USA run?

I doubt it. It's not the broadcaster that makes the quality of the program; it's the writers and producers of the show responsible for the content.

[Kliqonator]

So with Spike TV bailing out of the negotiations, and the likeliness that they'll be going back to USA, does anyone think that WWE programming will revert to the quality they had during the first USA run?

I doubt it. It's not the broadcaster that makes the quality of the program; it's the writers and producers of the show responsible for the content.

Touche. But they will have more exposure again, since USA reaches more markets than Spike TV, and they may start getting those old rating numbers they used to gain, in the 6's and 7's, and sometimes, 8's, back in the day.

[areaseven]

Touche. But they will have more exposure again, since USA reaches more markets than Spike TV, and they may start getting those old rating numbers they used to gain, in the 6's and 7's, and sometimes, 8's, back in the day.

Yes, but that was during the time a certain "son-in-law" wasn't in charge of booking. Times have changed. You can't call the show RAW anymore; it's now The Triple-H Show.

[Kliqonator]

Touche. But they will have more exposure again, since USA reaches more markets than Spike TV, and they may start getting those old rating numbers they used to gain, in the 6's and 7's, and sometimes, 8's, back in the day.

Yes, but that was during the time a certain "son-in-law" wasn't in charge of booking. Times have changed. You can't call the show RAW anymore; it's now The Triple-H Show.

True, but the Triple-H Show has also brought many great things to Raw. That same show was the reasoning for putting Jeff Hardy over, jobbing to him for the IC title. That same show also had no problem jobbing to Benoit last Wrestlemania, tapping out cleanly, and giving someone else the torch. And if the rumors are true, that same show will cleanly job to Batista at Wrestlemania. So I don't exactly understand how it's Triple H's show, especially considering that Vince McMahon has final say in any decision made with the booking. Wouldn't The Vince McMahon Show with suggestions by Triple H be more of an appropriate title?

[bandit29]

So when is the WWE leaving Spike TV? There's not much worth watching on Spike otherwise(MXC has become really stale).

[Kliqonator]

So when is the WWE leaving Spike TV? There's not much worth watching on Spike otherwise(MXC has become really stale).

If I am not mistakened, the contract with Spike ends in September. So sometime in September, expect the change. Although I'm sure there will be notice to alert the viewers a week or two beforehand.

[areaseven]

There are also rumors of UPN dropping SmackDown! later this year. If this happens, UPN is doomed, as nothing else on their lineup is remotely interesting.

[bandit29]

There are also rumors of UPN dropping SmackDown! later this year. If this happens, UPN is doomed, as nothing else on their lineup is remotely interesting.

You ain't kiddin. UPN is the worst network. Other than a few reruns, that network has nothing worth watching. Smackdown hasn't been really good in awhile. RAW has been doing ok though lately

If the WWE can't get a TV deal for both shows, I wonder if they'd consider combining the RAW/Smackdown rosters back together again.

[UN Spacy]

There are also rumors of UPN dropping SmackDown! later this year. If this happens, UPN is doomed, as nothing else on their lineup is remotely interesting.

Exactly. Now that Enterprise is going off the air I have NO reason (besides Smadkdown) to watch UPN.

[Apollo Leader]

Touche. But they will have more exposure again, since USA reaches more markets than Spike TV, and they may start getting those old rating numbers they used to gain, in the 6's and 7's, and sometimes, 8's, back in the day.

Yes, but that was during the time a certain "son-in-law" wasn't in charge of booking. Times have changed. You can't call the show RAW anymore; it's now The Triple-H Show.

Also the WCW still existed back in 2000, so the competition between the WCW and the WWF/E further helped generate higher TV ratings (granted that the WCW was going down in flames).

BTW, what is the current ratings for the WWE's main shows (Raw and Smackdown)?

[Kliqonator]

There are also rumors of UPN dropping SmackDown! later this year. If this happens, UPN is doomed, as nothing else on their lineup is remotely interesting.

Yeah, Smackdown! is the only show that is keeping UPN alive. It would be a huge mistake for UPN to let that go.

If the WWE can't get a TV deal for both shows, I wonder if they'd consider combining the RAW/Smackdown rosters back together again.

Man, I hope not. The roster splits are the only thing that truly keep the dynamics of each "brand" interesting. Just look at how people went nuts when Batistia and John Cena had their limited interaction at the Royal Rumble. Re-combining the brands would be a devestating mistake, I feel, unless NWA-TNA is able to make an impact quickly, if and when they get a deal with Spike.

Also the WCW still existed back in 2000, so the competition between the WCW and the WWF/E further helped generate higher TV ratings (granted that the WCW was going down in flames).

BTW, what is the current ratings for the WWE's main shows (Raw and Smackdown)?

This is a good point. But when the WWE left USA for TNN/Spike, the ratings dropped significantly because TNN/Spike didn't have as much market exposure as USA did.

WWE Raw currently averages in the 3's. About a 3.5-3.6. On a really great week, they may get close to a 4 or actually get it. I remember when getting something in the 4's meant that it was a bad show. Smackdown, I believe is in the upper 2's - low 3's, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

[calean007]

Got some old school wrestling ?'s kliq...

I was reading about Terry Gordy, part of the Fabulous Freebirds, the other day. Do you know where this guy wound up at finally? I know he doesn't wrestle anymore, but I didn't know if he's still in the business...

He was a great wrestler...

[bandit29]

Got some old school wrestling ?'s kliq...

I was reading about Terry Gordy, part of the Fabulous Freebirds, the other day. Do you know where this guy wound up at finally? I know he doesn't wrestle anymore, but I didn't know if he's still in the business...

He was a great wrestler...

Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy died a few years ago, IIRC. I loved the Freebirds.

[calean007]

Got some old school wrestling ?'s kliq...

I was reading about Terry Gordy, part of the Fabulous Freebirds, the other day.  Do you know where this guy wound up at finally?  I know he doesn't wrestle anymore, but I didn't know if he's still in the business...

He was a great wrestler...

Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy died a few years ago, IIRC. I loved the Freebirds.

Oh poo...I had no idea...

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