http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-unappreciated-artists-of-pro-wrestling/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-unappreciated-artists-of-pro-wrestling/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:22:38 +0000
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=13929
Professional wrestling is difficult to make money at. It’s very much a D.I.Y. business. As your own marketing machine, you must constantly be hustling in order to make a decent living. For a pro wrestler, the hustle doesn’t end after you secure various bookings, update your website calendar with your upcoming appearances, and post entertaining […]
Professional wrestling is difficult to make money at. It’s very much a D.I.Y. business. As your own marketing machine, you must constantly be hustling in order to make a decent living. For a pro wrestler, the hustle doesn’t end after you secure various bookings, update your website calendar with your upcoming appearances, and post entertaining and informative tweets that promote yourself, while cleverly fitting it all within the constraints of 140 characters. The hustle continues online and into show day at a little place us wrestlers call “The Gimmick Table.”
Whether it’s a virtual area on a website or live and in person, you may be more familiar with the gimmick table under its more commonly used title of “merchandise stand.” Wrestlers go out to the ring, have the best possible match that they can, and then head on over to the gimmick table in hopes that you’ll support them with a few extra dollars. Of course, there is no better way to support your favorite independent talent than by throwing down your hard earned dinero on some merchandise bearing their name or likeness.
Back in the old days of independent wrestling
В fifteen or twenty years ago, you’d go over to the gimmick table and see that the merch was much more simplistic: A plain black shirt with generic font stating a wrestler’s name. A pixelated 8 x 10 photo. Maybe even a best of VHS tape or DVD with a makeshift label written in black Sharpie slapped on it somewhere.
In 2015, the merchandise game has vastly changed, making it appear as though guys have huge warehouses where they produce mass quantities of their own merch. Dudes have colorful DVD’s and blu rays for sale. They have several different high quality glossy photographs to buy. Giant posters. Rubber bracelets. Tiny wrestling buddies. Foam fingers. Buttons. Stickers. Hats. Shorts. Koozies– I’ve never used a koozie in my life, but people buy them. Nearly anything you can think of now, wrestlers will produce and sell it.
And the shirts… the shirts are the best and the most creative that they’ve ever been. Gone are simplistic comic sans font tees, and in their place are highly artistic parody and original tees, many that seem to bear no resemblance to a wrestling tee at all (making it much easier to wear in public). With the rise of Chicago based
Pro Wrestling Tees
, and smaller independent wrestling tee companies like
Top Rope Tuesday
,В the wrestling tee game could only grow to be bigger and better.В For the bigger names on the independent scene, the paydays are good, but a good t-shirt design can make your take home cashВ
much better.В
Just ask guys like The Young Bucks and Colt Cabana, gimmick table juggernauts.
Which brings me to today’s topic: the unsung heroes of the independent wrestling scene. The artists behind the artistic wrestler. The guys that make it possible for us big tough brutes to garner an extra $20 spot from a loyal fan. I’m talking about the t-shirt creators themselves:
Dave Bogart, Hiroto Fukanaga, Jaims Van Der Beek/Jeremy Tate, Derek Sharp and Curtain Jerker Designs, Jill Thompson, Jake and Derek of Top Rope Tuesday, and countless others, many that can be foundВ
right here.
The above that I’ve mentioned I’ve known for years, and they are incredible at what they do. Their artistic ability is second to none, and all are genuine individuals that I’m happy to say are worth investing your money into for a good design, especially since they will go above and beyond for you in terms of quality and quickness. Many of them have been fortunate enough to extend their designs beyond independent wrestlers, with people like Jill and Dave, and Jain designing shirts for the likes of CM Punk, Edge, Kevin Nash, and many more. It’s pretty incredible how far they’ve come.
So– why am I writing this?
Well, just like the wrestler, like myself, that depends on pro wrestling to make money, cartoonists and designers depend on you to make money for a design. So, random example, if you’re– let’s say– I don’t know– a wrestler– and you ask any one of these artists to design you a shirt, and they do it– you pay them for their time.
I can’t speak for many of the above, but I can speak for my buddy, Hiroto. Hiroto is an artist from Japan that I’ve known for five years that has done work for many big advertising companies and cartoons, including Mega Man. He also happens to be a huge wrestling fan, and has done design work for many independent wrestling talents and promotions over the years. Though it’s sometimes difficult for us to communicate due to that whole language barrier thing, Hiroto has always worked fast, efficiently, and has kept his prices for designs more than fair. Yet, for some reason, many independent wrestlers over the years, particularly recently, have decided to get a design– and then refuse to pay him, or flat out ignore him.
Sad part is, I know some of the guys who are stiffing Hiroto.
Imagine going into work, doing your job, and on payday, you don’t get your check. You knock on your bosses door to ask him where your money is, and he sits behind the lock door ignoring you, hoping that you go away and forget that you’re owed money for the work you put in. That’s what Hiroto is experiencing right now, and it’s just plain wrong. Hiroto has a family, just like me– just like you. If you want him to draw, pay him. If you want me to wrestle, pay me. Or don’t ask.
Support independent wrestling. Support independent wrestlers. More importantly, support the independent artists behind the wrestlers. Helping them helps us wrestlers, and it helps you wear something on your upper body that is overly stylish.
If you’re a independent pro wrestler, you have money, and you want a decent design, do me a favor and look into some of the individuals listed above. If you’re an independent pro wrestler and you’ve stolen a design from one of these artists, you’re not a pro… you’re just a con.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-ocho-wrestlers-i-miss/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-ocho-wrestlers-i-miss/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:49:41 +0000
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11141
In this 2015 the "Year of the List", I sat down and figured… Why not ME? Why not MY LIST?! SO? Ladies, and Gentlemen, Cheap-Heaters of all literacy levels? Welcome to: I am Pepper Brooks… or at the very least I AM wearing sunglasses and haven't combed my hair, but do lack the neck tattoos […]
In this 2015 the "Year of the List", I sat down and figured… Why not ME? Why not MY LIST?!
SO? Ladies, and Gentlemen, Cheap-Heaters of all literacy levels? Welcome to:
I am Pepper Brooks… or at the very least I AM wearing sunglasses and haven't combed my hair, but do lack the neck tattoos of the above pictured, fictitious Dodgeball color commentator. Tonight I'm bringing you a simple list and I urge you to share yours.
The OCHO: Wrestlers I Miss
This is vague, and in a couple instances these wrestlers might still be active, but I don't see their work
(My #1 definitely falls under this umbrella… BOOM! TEASERS!)
Edge rose through the ranks during the Attitude Era, debuting as something of a Vampire Slayer and feuding with WWE's resident Vampire, Gangrel. Eventually he worked his way out of that, was one half of one of the Era's greatest tag teams, in Edge and Christian, and showed a lot of versatility both in the ring and on the mic. He was wildly entertaining and as the "Rated R Superstar" reached new levels of popularity and success. Unfortunately a neck injury forced him to hang up the boots. He also was part of the greatest era of Smackdown which also leaned heavily on THIS man…
Similar to Edge in that he was a total package. Debuted in the WWE with the "Radicalz", after having lots of success in both ECW and WCW. In WWE was part of so many memorable stories and segments. Be it tagging with Chavo in Los Guerreros, or the genesis for "Latino Heat". His win over Brock Lesnar and celebration is something I'll always remember. In ring he was damn near peerless, and something that stood out to me, is when he was out there in an arena? He seemed to enjoy the hell out of everything he did. Of course Eddie was in ECW and so was he!
Okay… when I started this I wasn't thinking it'd be THIS heavy. Pillman was one of my favorites when I became a wrestling fan in the early to mid 90s, watching WCW. Hollywood Blondes are one of my favorite tag teams of all time. Then his stuff in ECW and eventually bringing the Loose Cannon to WWF was spectacular. I think any of us during that time will remember the manic eyes, and of course Pillman pointing a gun at Stone Cold. Injuries kept him out of a WWE ring for most of his time there, before his untimely death in October of 1997. Pillman was part of a stable with…
I swear… I really wasn't supposed to be like this. The theme going so far for me is talented in ring competitors and guys who could entertain in any segment they were involved in. Owen was my Hart family member of choice. I always felt like he got lost in the shuffle during that era. After the Montreal Screwjob and basically the entire Hart Foundation had left and it seemed uncertain as to WHAT Owen would do, he returned and attacked….
YAY! This one isn't sad! Shawn Michaels is arguably the greatest in ring competitor this business has ever seen. He is a WWE Hall of Famer, and I can't recall a bad match the man was in. His ego was on par with his talent, and in both cases he was many times head and shoulders above everyone around him. You don't get nicknames like "The Showstopper", and "Mr. Wrestlemania" to stick without having the chops to back it up. I still hope for one more match from Michaels, though I'm guessing that is not going to happen. Michaels really could have great matches with anyone, but put him in the ring with someone like this?
And it would be magical. Stop screaming. I KNOW Shelton is still active. Hell, I saw his match at Wrestlekingdom 9. I know he has been involved with RoH, but I don't follow Ring of Honor close enough to know if that is still an ongoing place of employment for Benjamin. Doesn't mean I see him regularly. Also doesn't mean I can't miss him. One of the greatest athletes the WWE has ever had in their ring. One of a generation of performers they brought in from the world of Amateur wrestling, and a guy who was close friends with Brock Lesnar… so why not bring him in too to make sure Brock was happy? Introduced to us as a "Tag Team" presented to Kurt Angle (Team Angle… eventually "Worlds Greatest Tag Team") Shelton could do anything in the ring. He could do it smoothly. He could do it powerfully. If I'd do an OCHO of "guys they dropped the ball with"? He'd be at or near the top of the list. And he had some good matches in the WWE with…
I'm not alone in missing CM Punk. So many different ways he could have been used the last year. Especially with Lesnar being the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. A guy who was valuable and memorable in any segment on the show. One of the best promos in wrestling. One of the best wrestlers. Not having him around, stinks. But… ladies and gentlemen? Just because we miss him doesn't mean we have to chant for him whenever for whatever reason his name pops into his head… just something to keep in mind. You know who WOULDN'T randomly chant "CM PUNK"?
Yes, Like Shelton I'm acutely aware that he's still active. Well I THINK he's still active. I'm not positive of such things. But Tajiri is one of my favorites. From his arrival in ECW through his WWE run, I was always entertained by him. Super underrated. He could be a standout in backstage segments, and wouldn't speak a word. His non verbals were spectacular. While the rest of the list was set up so I could loosely tie them together? Tajiri is the top of the list for me.
So what about you? Who are the wrestlers you miss the most?
http://www.cheap-heat.com/ring-dissection-ring-dissection-brock-lesnar-2-0-year-2/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/ring-dissection-ring-dissection-brock-lesnar-2-0-year-2/#comments Sun, 15 Mar 2015 22:24:59 +0000
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10440
Welcome back to the Lab. Where we slice and dice all things pro wrestling. This is another installment of the "Lesnar Dissection". For those of you curious you can see the dissection of "Year 1" right here: Just a reminder I am taking my scalpel to closer examine Lesnar's 3 year run since returning to […]
Welcome back to the Lab. Where we slice and dice all things pro wrestling. This is another installment of the "Lesnar Dissection". For those of you curious you can see the dissection of "Year 1" right here:
Just a reminder I am taking my scalpel to closer examine Lesnar's 3 year run since returning to the WWE the night after Wrestlemania 28. A quick overview. Lesnar came back. Crowd went crazy. F-5'd Cena. Lost the big PPV match. Broke HHH's arm. Won that big PPV match. Lost that PPV rematch at Mania… which leads us to?
The build to this saw a ramp up of some intensity. The story being Brock had made HHH tap out, at Summerslam. Hunter had KO'd Lesnar at Mania with a pedigree on the steps. Lesnar destroyed Trips office at WWE headquarters. The two brawled in a cage on Raw, too. So this is to settle it. A rubber match.
Lesnar came out first, but before he could finish entering, HHH attacked. Driving him into the cage. Hunter dominated the early going, until Brock went for a flying knee, but HHH got out of the way and Brock's knee crashed into the cage which became a focal point for the match. Brock complaining about the knee to Paul. It buckling during an F-5 attempt midway through the match. HHH hitting chop blocks, and using a chair against it… oh yeah… Paul slid a chair into the ring at the behest of the Beast. See… Brock had hit an F-5 and Hunter kicked out. So? They needed to up the ante, so to speak. Back to the action, Hunter continued to work that knee. Again I notice the crowd really isn't into this match… HHH's working of the knee and Brock's selling is great during the middle section of this match. Of course Trips locks in a figure four. Because…
Brock isn't tapping… Hunter is now punching the knee while he has the Figure Four in… BRILLIANT! Lesnar eventually turns it over. Hold gets broke. Brock gets up. Goes to climb out. Gets AAAAAALMOST there and Triple H hits the wounded knee with a chair. Ouchtown: Population, YOU, Brock. In that corner Triple H had hid a sledge up at the top of the cage. Spray painted silver! Lesnar is able to thwart that attempt and gets the sledge in HIS possession, that also goes poorly and Brock ends up in a Sharpshooter. Paul ends up in the ring trying to break it up, and eats a Pedigree! Lesnar also eats a Pedigree and kicks out at Two… PLUS! Heyman low blows Triple H. Lesnar regroups and then nails HHH with the sledgehammer. Hits the F-5 which was just a formality, and scores the pinfall. He places the sledge next to HHH for a little symbolism and limps his way to the back. Easily their best of the three matches. Good story and action throughout. From a booking standpoint I feel they leaned too much on Paul being involved physically and interfering. Heyman slammed the cage door into HHH's head, low blowed him, and was very involved in distracting HHH. Still… brought Brock's record to an even 2-2 since his return.
Brock's next match was to be one for the ages. The story starts with CM Punk and Paul Heyman. Their friendship over the years and Paul managing Punk during his 434 day reign as WWE Champion. At Money in the Bank that year, Paul Heyman turned on Punk
(Side note, I was there! Four rows behind the announce table… LOOK FOR ME, in a Cesaro shirt and with a Switzerland Soccer Scarf.)
So Punk fought his way through the Heyman Guy B-Team. Axel and Ryback. Working like crazy to get his hands on Paul. Eventually Paul yells "ITS CLOBBERIN' TIME", and we set off for this match at Summerslam.
Hype video for this match was amazing. The match was made No DQ, which they announced on the pre show. That's a head scratcher. Why not hype that up more? Lesnar out first. Punk out second and crowd going CRAZY. I miss "Cult of Personality" as an entrance song. Already this crowd is more live and hype than the three HHH/Lesnar matches COMBINED. Punk tries to come out firing, but gets thrown into the corner and eats shoulders and stomps. Early story was Punk trying to come out hard. Being tenacious, but it not working as Lesnar just manhandling Punk. Eventually Punk hits a big kick and a couple knees and a suicide dive to get some momentum. Punk tried to use the top half of the entrance steps, but Lesnar just shoulder tackles them into Punk… side note: WHY when a HUGE dude snatches up the ring steps the announcers freak out about "THEIR POWER AND STRENGTH", and yet Punk grabs them with relative ease and now one says a word? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical.
Punk dominates on the outside. Hits a diving clothesline off the table, and then notices Heyman. He stalks Heyman, and gets run over by the Beast for his troubles. Lesnar rag dolls Punk across the Spanish Announce Table. Then over the main table… his back hit awkwardly on one of the monitors. Brock overhead belly to belly's Punk, before this match final gets back in the ring. Lesnar clobbers. Punk tries to rally, before Lesnar snuffs it out. Punk's back is bleeding due to the early spot on the announce tables. Lesnar lots of trash talk during this match is great. Him calling himself the Best int he World, and dismissively yelling out to the crowd, "THIS IS YOUR BOY, HUH?"
This match is physical. Brock's knees to the ribs, or Punk's forearm smashes. Lesnar bear hugs Punk and I would immediately tap out at that move… not because of the pain, though I'm sure it could hurt like hell… but cuz Lesnar is so sweaty. I'd just tap out and yell "GET IT OFF ME!" Punk goes for an axe handle smash off the top. Gets caught… clearly Brock forgot his NFL training because nary a fair catch signal was made! Huge fall away slam. Punk fights out and ends up biting Lesnar. Then starts in with kicks galore. Forearms get Lesnar wobbly, and Punk hits a flying knee off the top rope. Then his trademark running high knee into the corner x2… NOPE! x3 – caught by Lesnar – but Punk hits a head kick, and the Macho Man elbow, which was really more splash than elbow. That got a 2… PLUS! Punk signals for the GTS. Lesnar gets out, hoists Punk for the F-5, but Punk gets out and hits a head kick. More great counter wrestling. As Punk again hoists him for the GTS, but Lesnar reverses THAT into the Kimura. Punk tuns that into an arm bar, and eventually gets Lesnar into a triangle. That becomes a deadlift power bomb, but Punk keeps the triangle on. SECOND deadlift, and then running power bomb. "This is Awesome" chant is well deserved. Lesnar hits the Three Amigos. Or… ya know… his version. Which is more raw brute power less smooth when rolling to keep it going.
Lesnar goes to the outside to get a chair. Punk climbs to the top rope and dives onto chair/Lesnar. That one hurt both of them. Chair then used across the brick wall that is Lesnar's back. Match back inside the ropes, Lesnar gets the chair, but then eats a low blow. Punk does a chair assisted elbow drop off the top. I was sure that was it the first time I saw it. Three Minus as Lesnar BARELY kicked out in time. Punk wears out that chair on Lesnar's back some more, UNTIL? Heyman snatches it from him. Now Punk is able to grab Heyaman, but again Lesnar makes the save. Lesnar hoists Punk up, but Punk has Heyman's tie. Which led to a great exchange between Heyman and Lesnar with Lesnar telling Paul to "LET GO!" Punk hit the GTS on Lesnar, but between Paul breaking it up and Lesnar kicking out the match CONTINUES. Punk reversed the F-5 into a DDT, and then locked in the Anaconda Vice. Heyman slid in with a chair, but is cut off. Punk punches Paul and then locks in the Vice. Paul tapping away frantically then a SUPER high velocity chair shot to Punk breaks that up. Nasty shots. Then an F-5 onto that chair puts an end to a spectacular match.
EASILY Lesnar's best match since his return. Great match. Great story. No surprise this was on many a "Year End" list that year.
So then Lesnar went away… for a while. A… LONG… WHILE. Lesnar did a couple appearances leading into Royal Rumble "dislocating" Mark Henry's elbow. Lesnar also started calling himself, or Heyman called him the #1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Anyway, back to him and Show. At the time Henry and Big Show were besties. This being Big Show's "face" season… cuz Big Show turns like the seasons. So Big Show wanted revenge for his buddy. Lesnar being physically dominated in the run ins with Show leading to:
Lesnar attacks before the bell. Takes Show down. Gets a chair, cuz what is a Lesnar match without weaponry? So he sets off in destroying Show. To give a play by play: Chair shot. Chair shot. Chair shot. Chair shot. Chair Shot. Chair shot. etc. etc. etc. Heyman actually goes to give Brock a NEW chair because the original has taken too much of a beating. Bell finally rings. Lesnar charges in for another chair shot and eats the KO Punch. Each man stumbles around on the outside. Show works the body. Crowd okay for this… clearly they were about to be crazy loud with the insanity that followed in the Rumble. Lesnar ends up F-5ing show… though it was more F-U styled. Quick match. Just a beat down squash type match. Post match Lesnar continued to destroy Show with chair shots. He breaks another chair over Big Show, and Heyman tosses him a THIRD chair. Clearly this was setting up to make Lesnar look as dangerous as possible for his Mania match.
You know I didn't know if we would get to a second Wrestlemania match with Lesnar. Clearly this second year of Lesnar has gone a lot better than the first. Going into Wrestlemania he was on a three match winning streak. Had a Match of the Year contender under his belt, and finally we were lined up to get the match that had been rumored and talked about since Lesnar and Taker crossed paths in an arena at a UFC show. The story for Taker's Mania matches have pretty much been the same for the last 6 or 7 years. "Wrestler X" wants to break the Undertaker's streak. WHAT is the "Undertaker's Streak", you ask? Going into the match the Undertaker had never been defeated at Wrestlemania. He was 21-0. As impressive as that is… that they never had him lose a random match? What's MORE impressive is the Deadman's longevity. This would be his 22nd appearance at the Grandaddy of them all. When it would take 14 Mania's without a Taker appearance to be able to say "Taker appeared at half of all Wrestlemanias?" That's saying something.
Ultimately Lesnar and Heyman were moving forward saying that Lesnar was the Number One Contender. McMahonagement was like, sorry Brock. Here you can have a contract for a match of ANYONE of your choosing. Brock and Heyman were very sad panda'd about this. So they were content to not fight at Mania, but Taker returned. Choke slammed him through a table and boom.
Hype video for this match was stellar, but if there is ONE Thing the WWE does consistently well its these video packages. Heyman saying "He IS the �ONE'"… "All good things DO come to an END." He's more prophet than advocate there. JBL actually mentioned Lesnar's IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Can't remember THAT One being mentioned before.
Entrances end… man that was LLLLLLONG. I love Taker's entrance, but that one felt so long. Brawling to begin. Lesnar overhead belly to belly's the Deadman. Brock clothesline Taker over the top rope, but Taker lands on his feet. Little more brawling. Taker focusing on Brock's shoulder. Slow start with Taker controlling. VINTAGE leg drop on the apron! [/Michael Cole] Snake eyes. Taker goes for a chokeslam, but Lesnar gets out, hoists for the F-5. Taker gets out. Taker misses a running big boot into the corner, and gets hung up on the top rope. Giving Lesnar a body part to work. I notice the crowd is pretty dead for this. I'm guessing its because everyone thought this was a foregone conclusion. Lesnar dominates this for a while. Methodical destruction. Taker turns the tide with a big DDT. He gets rolling. Big running corner splash. Snake eyes. Big Boot. Taker calling for the chokeslam. GREAT chokeslam. Lesnar jumped outta his shoes on that one. TWO… PLUS!
Taker goes for the Tombstone… Brock out F-5! Taker kicks out. Brock stares in disbelief. Crowd starts to come to life. Taker can't get up, but lures in Lesnar and locks in the Hell's Gate. Deadlift power bomb. Not a full lift, but Taker is a big dude. Still impressive. Back to the Hell's Gate. ANOTHER deadlift power bomb. This one Lesnar gets him up. JBL makes a good point. Taker has been on his back for five minutes of this match. Locked in two Hell's Gates, but hasn't been off the mat. Lesnar locks in the kimura. Taker reverses it and locks in a kimura of his own. They battle in the corner after the ring break. Taker goes for old school. Lesnar pulls him down onto his shoulder. F-5… the sequel! Taker kicks out. Lesnar goes into German mode. Hits two. Mounted punches in the corner for Lesnar means Brock is about to go for a LAST RIDE! Taker collapses. Rewatching this Taker legit looks out of it. Tombstone! Cross armed cover… THREE – MINUS!!! Taker sits up. Crowd meekly reacts. Signals for another Tombstone. Hoists him, Lesnar counters that, and gets Taker into F-5 position. That was impressive. Lets make it F-5 the trilogy! And… cue… THIS:
Crowd was stunned. Total disbelief, then grumbling. Booing. A decent "bullshit" chant. No ONE saw this coming. Match was affected by Taker's concussion. It was good, not great, but that finish was so memorable. Also the first match that wasn't filled with weapons or Paul running in, or distracting. The huge standing ovation at the end was touching. Legit concern for if this was the Undertaker's last match especially as the reports filed in about him spending the night in the hospital. Whether or not the finish was called on the fly. Even the ref count felt weird when I watched it live. Watching it THIS time, it was normal. They just booked it so there was no reaction. Bell didn't ring, Brock's music didn't start. They even took a few beats before announcing a winner. They sold the shock so well people at first were thinking someone screwed up. But the production with the crowd shots right after, and the graphic say otherwise.
In Review!
What a difference a year makes. Year one saw Brock's return and was super underwhelming. Year two? Whoa. The best of the Brock vs. Triple H trilogy. A Match of the Year contender with CM Punk at Summerslam. A pretty forgetful, throw away "match" with Big Show, which served its final purpose which was building up to a huge clash against the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. I can't imagine many people were up on thinking Lesnar would end the streak. Hell… I can't recall anyone thinking Lesnar hand any kind of shot. He capped this year in the WWE with a win that trumps any WWE World Championship win. He did something no one thought would happen and most didn't want to happen. The WWE really solidified Lesnar in this campaign. They had a plan for him. They built him well and executed that incredibly well. He was able to put on memorable matches and really cemented himself. I was very on the fence about him returning. I'm not a fan of the part timers. Even if its a "heavier" schedule like Lesnar does, than say when the Rock was around leading into Mania 29. This year helped bring me around. At the very least you have the opportunity to book enthralling matches and have this once in a generation attraction. A legitimate fighter and a great pro wrestler who really found his groove melding those worlds together during this year. They course corrected after year one and came out with a bigger star and box office draw. I look forward to taking a look to his third year. Where we know he had bigger and better things in store!
http://www.cheap-heat.com/top-20-world-champions-longest-combined-title-reigns/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/top-20-world-champions-longest-combined-title-reigns/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2015 05:09:27 +0000
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10279
Top 20 World Champions: Longest Combined Title Reigns Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Nowadays you'll hear wrestling superstars throughout various promotions tout unrivaled success as their title reigns grow longer by the day. The WWE keeps a record of who's held their world championship the longest, however that list includes neither the WCW nor NWA […]
Top 20 World Champions:
Longest Combined Title Reigns
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Nowadays you'll hear wrestling superstars throughout various promotions tout unrivaled success as their title reigns grow longer by the day. The WWE keeps a record of who's held their world championship the longest, however that list includes neither the WCW nor NWA World Heavyweight titles. In some cases, it doesn't even include the WWE's own retired big gold belt, the world heavyweight championship. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and after I added the missing championships to the WWE's current list, I came up with a surprising "Top 20 World Champions: Longest Combined Title Reigns."
Note: This list includes all WWE world titles including but not limited to: WWWF Championship, WWF Championship, WWF Undisputed Championship, WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It also includes the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, as well as the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from its inception in 1948 until September 13, 1993 when World Championship Wrestling left the National Wrestling Alliance. I do not include any TNA/NWA world title reigns, nor current NWA activities involving wrestlers like Rob Conway or Adam Pearce. Sorry.
20. Dave Batista – 544 Days
"The Animal" made his wrestling debut in 2000 and after defeating Triple H at Wrestlemania 21 in 2005, embarked on a championship career that would include six world title reigns. With (2) WWE and (4) WWE World titles to his name, Dave Batista's combined 544 days as champion is just three days shy of exactly one and a half years. He might be last on our list, but he'll go down in history for his longevity as champion.
19. Brock Lesnar – 558 Days and counting…
Brock Lesnar is a highly-decorated multi-sport athlete who entered the WWE in 2002. He became the youngest champion in history, and left the company shortly thereafter to pursue other interests. He returned to the WWE in 2012, where he is currently the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. "The Beast" Brock Lesnar never held the "Big Gold Belt," but his (4) distinct WWE title runs have helped earn him a lasting place in history. Just 15 days shy of #18, it is assumed that Brock Lesnar will move up the ranks regardless of what happens at Wrestlemania 31.
18. "Macho Man" Randy Savage – 573 Days
Randy "Macho Man" Savage won his first world championship after defeating Ted DiBiase in a one-night tournament at Wrestlemania IV. He would lose the gold after a year to Hulk Hogan, and go on to capture it once more before leaving the WWE for supposedly greener pastures. While signed to WCW, the "Macho Man" was positioned as the champion on a number of occasions, winning his first title at World War 3 in 1995. Over the course of his twenty years in the ring, the Macho Man amassed six world titles, (2) in the WWE and (4) in WCW.
17. "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers – 595 Days
Vince McMahon's favorite wrestler is Buddy Rogers, but unfortunately, the first-ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion only held his title for a measly 22 days before being vanquished by Bruno Sammartino. But when taking his reign as NWA World Champion into account, suddenly the original "Nature Boy" is back in the game. For over a year and a half, Buddy Rogers controlled the most prestigious world title in wrestling, and set his 573-day record with just (1) NWA championship run.
16. CM Punk – 622 Days
The longest reigning champion in modern WWE would most certainly be CM Punk who held onto his WWE Heavyweight title for an unprecedented 434 days. While lasting so long without losing one's belt is groundbreaking in itself, added to his (3) world championships, the (2-time) WWE champion has been at the top of the WWE for 622 days. Although no longer competing in the squared circle, it could be quite some time before anybody, past or present, surpasses the leader of the "Straight Edge Society."
15. Orville Brown – 692 Days
Orville Brown defeated Sonny Myers in January 1948 to become the first-ever NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He grew up on a farm in Kansas where he only attended school for one year, because his family couldn't afford anything else. An amateur wrestling manager noticed Orville toward the end of the 1920s, and thought he might have a future as a professional. Orville debuted in 1929 and after nearly 20 years of success, was honored by the newly established National Wrestling Alliance. Orville was just a (1-time) champion, but held onto the strap for 692 days before dropping it to Lou Thesz in November 1949.
14. Bret "The Hitman" Hart – 710 Days
The most prolific championship contender of my childhood was none other than "The Hitman" himself. Bret Hart entered the WWE as an afterthought and quickly climbed the tag team ranks alongside his brother-in-law Jim Neidhart. By 1992, Bret was already a 2-time intercontinental champion and well on his way to winning the world title. He captured the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in 1992 after defeating Ric Flair, and would go on to become a (5-time) WWE champion, as well as (2-time) world champion with WCW.
13. Randy Orton – 748 Days
The first competitor on our countdown to reach 2-years as champion is the "Legend Killer" Randy Orton. Randy Orton won his first World Heavyweight Champion in 2004 by defeating Chris Benoit to become the youngest World Champion up until that time. Orton has surpassed all expectations during his 15-year career on top of the WWE. He has headlined countless events as a twelve-time heavyweight champion—a (4-time) recipient of the Big Gold Belt, and (8-time) WWE heavyweight title holder.
12. Jack Brisco – 866 Days
The Hall of Fame Brisco Brothers were a formidable tag team and pair of promotors who ran Georgia Championship Wrestling. While the WWE Universe is far more familiar with Gerry, his big brother Jack was the one who held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship an astonishing 866 days. Brisco won the belt from Harley Race after some questionable politics from the Funk Family, but went on to prove himself worthy as a (2-time) NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
11. Pat O'Connor – 903 Days
Throughout the storied legacy of the National Wrestling Alliance, New Zealand-native Pat O'Connor was only the fifth man to be trusted enough to carry the championship belt. He defeated Dick Hutton on January 9, 1959 and proceeded to hold his championship until dropping it to Buddy Rogers in the summer of 1961. O'Connor was caught between promotors in 1960 when Verne Gagne withdrew from the NWA and named O'Connor his champion. Pat O'Connor never defended the AWA belt, and maintained his loyalty as (1-time) NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
10. Gene Kiniski – 1,131 Days
Gene Kiniski spent forty years inside the squared-circle and is still one of the most recognizable wrestlers in the history of the business. What's most impressive about Kiniski's unprecedented 1,131 days as champion, is that he did it without losing his title once. That's right—Gene Kiniski is a (1-time) NWA World Heavyweight title holder and the first man on our countdown to break three years as champion. Gene beat Lou Thesz on January 7, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri. Thesz would never hold the championship again, but Gene Kiniski successfully defended it until being bested by Dory Funk Jr. on February 11, 1969.
9. Triple H – 1,155 Days
Former (13-time) World Heavyweight Champion Triple H has more to worry about these days than winning and losing matches, as he was recently elected to the WWE Board of Directors. But that's not to say his 1,155 days as champion weren't something to be proud of. Triple H first won the WWF World Heavyweight Champion in August of 1999 from Mick Foley, and has since set the record for third-most title reigns with thirteen. He was gifted the "Big Gold Belt" by Eric Bischoff and became a (5-time) World Heavyweight Champion; along with being a former (8-time) WWE title holder, Triple H has ruled as WWE champion for more than three years.
8. John Cena – 1,394 Days
Despite his divisive effect on wrestling fans around the world, nobody can deny the success John Cena has enjoyed over the past ten years. Coming in at number eight, Cena is the highest-ranking current wrestler on our countdown and holds the record for second-most title reigns with fifteen. His first championship came at Wrestlemania 21 in 2005 and his most recent run as title holder was during the summer of 2015. He is a (3-time) World Heavyweight Champion AKA the "Big Gold Belt," as well as a (12-time) WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It's safe to assume John Cena will be champion again, and if he can hang onto the belt for 169 days, he'll be sure to move up to number seven.
7. Dory Funk Jr. – 1,563 Days
Another man who earned his hallowed reputation as a (1-time) NWA World Heavyweight Champion was the man who defeated the record-setting Gene Kiniski in 1969, the incomparable Dory Funk Jr. The Funk Family is noted for having the only set of sibling champions in NWA history, Dory and his younger brother Terry. The Family was led by beloved patriarch Dory Sr. who sought to establish his sons as the premiere professional wrestlers in the industry. Dory's 1,563 days as champion lasted from 1969 to 1973, and is the second-longest uninterrupted NWA title reign in history.
6. Harley Race – 1,799 Days
Commonly regarded as the toughest man in the business, Harley Race is also among the most decorated and respected individuals to ever enter a wrestling ring. Former (8-time) NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race managed to maintain his rule as leader of the locker room for 1,799 days. He was contributory in passing the torch to deserving new stars throughout his career such as Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, and Ric Flair. Harley will be fondly remembered for his stint as "King Harley Race" in the WWE, but it's the tattooed, gravelly-voiced ass-kicker from Kansas City that will leave the most-lasting impression.
5. Bob Backlund – 2,138 Days
Bob Backlund came about during a time when professional wrestling had hit an all-time low. The "Bruno-Era" was long-gone and Hulkamania was still six years away. Bob Backlund is a (2-time) WWE World Heavyweight Champion, who first won the honor by defeating "Superstar" Billy Graham in 1978. Backlund won the belt again sixteen years later when he defeated Bret Hart under questionable circumstances, but only managed to hold the championship for three days. Therefore it's his unbroken 2,135 days as champion from 1978 to 1983 that earned Bob Backlund a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
4. Hulk Hogan – 3,362 Days
Hulk Hogan is perhaps the most successful professional wrestler in history, as his career spanned nearly 30 years and included a dozen world championship honors. Hulk Hogan's first run as WWE World Heavyweight Champion began in 1984 when he defeated the dastardly Iron Sheik. His first reign would last over four years, culminating in a storyline with Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase. Hogan was a (6-time) WWE World Heavyweight Champion including a final run when he returned in 2002. In addition, Hogan is a (6-time) WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and is the longest reigning WCW champion in history.
3. "Nature Boy" Ric Flar – 3,722 Days
He's not just a "Jet-Flyin' Limousine Rider," he's the record-setting 20-time World Heavyweight Champion, the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Contrary to WWE documentation, Ric Flair's (10) NWA (8) WCW and (2) WWE World Heavyweight Championship titles total TWENTY—not SIXTEEN. Ric Flair is perhaps the most decorated wrestler in all of professional wrestling—in addition to his championship accolades, his career has spanned over 40-years, and he is currently the only 2-time WWE Hall of Famer. His (20) World Heavyweight Championships have totaled 3,722 days—nearly 7 times-as-many days as the last person on our list.
2. Lou Thesz – 3,749 Days
Just 291 days shy of the all-time record, Lou Thesz is the second-longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion in professional wrestling history. As (3-time) NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Lou Thesz was on top of the industry for an astronomical 3,749 days—or just over ten years. He holds the record for both combined championship title reigns as well as single uninterrupted periods as champion for the National Wrestling Alliance. Thesz influenced an entire generation of performers and transcended the "Golden Age" of the sport to help establish a new era for professional wrestling.
1. Bruno Sammartino – 4,040 Days
The WWE is right about one thing—Bruno Sammartino is without question the longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion in history. Sammartino immigrated to the United States from Italy in the hopes of capturing the "American Dream," and instead won the world title, which he held for over eleven years. Bruno entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013—fifty years removed from first becoming world champion in 1963. Bruno's historic 4,040 day record is comprised of only (2) WWE World Heavyweight title reigns, the first of which lasted 2,803 days.
Will anybody ever come close to Bruno's record, or is Dave Batista's 544-days more attainable for today's Superstars? I think it's interesting that while there are only a handful of modern-day wrestlers on the countdown, all four members of Evolution made the cut. I hope you enjoyed this leisurely stroll through history—until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat and to follow me on Facebook by LIKING "Mark Haggerty's Pro Wrestling."
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The Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Wrestlemania is only four weeks away, and tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from my home—the GARDEN STATE of New Jersey! Of course now I live on the West Coast and was in Las Vegas for Ring of Honor […]
The Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Wrestlemania is only four weeks away, and tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from my home—the GARDEN STATE of New Jersey! Of course now I live on the West Coast and was in Las Vegas for Ring of Honor when all of my friends were heading to the Prudential Center, but I dare say this was the best episode of Raw since the start of the New Year. I'm certainly apprehensive about the upcoming "Grand Daddy of Them All," but if the next three weeks follow tonight's lead, I think we'll be in good shape by the time the "Road to Wrestlemania" ends right here in California. New Jersey has always been a hotbed for independent wrestling, and I think this episode was staggered in a way so that it appealed to the die-hard fans in Newark. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, with you as always to deliver my "Highlight of the Night"—The Top Moments from Raw. Let's get started with a very special
HONORABLE MENTION
…
Honorable Mention
Aside from the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, this year's Hall of Fame class leaves quite a bit to be desired. Arnold Schwarzenegger is being advertised based on his one-night appearance on Smackdown in 1999, rather than his close relationship with Superstar Billy Graham and other WWWF Superstars during the 1970s and �80s. The Bushwhackers will always hold a special place in my heart, but can't compare to the British Bulldogs, Strike Force, the Hart Foundation or any number of other teams from that era, who are
not
in the Hall. Rikishi most certainly deserves the honor, and I'm happy his sons have been tasked with inducted him, but is Rikishi really a big enough name to be the second biggest induction of the year? Tonight the WWE announced another name for this year's class of 2015—a woman who not only belongs in the Hall of Fame, but probably should have gone in long before Trish Stratus and Lita. Of course I'm talking about Madusa AKA Alundra Blayze. I honestly thought that she was blacklisted by the WWE, but I guess that's not the case. Congratulations to the former 3-time WWF Women's champion—I can't wait to see who inducts her in Santa Clara.
5. Bray's Burning Casket
Cheap-Heat's Gary Mastriano is a very talented wrestling journalist, who also happens to be one of my oldest friends—but Gary and I are divided as to how this year's Undertaker storyline is set to play out. When Bray Wyatt appeared in the Undertaker's casket at Fastlane, I received a text from Gary that read: "So am I supposed to be excited by the Undertaker?" Meanwhile, I'm marking out just as much as my first name might suggest. I think this could be a really cool program, however I can certainly understand why Gary has his reservations. The Undertaker has had consistent contests at
every
Wrestlemania from 23 with Batista, up until 29 against CM Punk. Unfortunately, the "Dead Man's" last outing was such a disappointment that hundreds upon thousands of self-proclaimed "Creatures of the Night" are now turning on the idea of "one more match." Regardless of whether you're excited to see the "Phenom" square off against the "Eater of Worlds," Wyatt has been highly impressive since starting down this path, especially tonight when he set fire to the casket he constructed in honor of the Undertaker. Might we get some sort of stipulation, such
as
a Casket Match? Will we see the Undertaker before Wrestlemania, or will he save his return for Levi Stadium? Bray's character is so much more defined than the rest of the roster, which could come easier for Superstars playing specific roles, such as a backwoods cult leader in a rocking chair. I'm excited to see how the next three weeks of Raw will go now that Bray Wyatt has already torched one of the Undertaker's signature symbols, and look forward to their meeting on March 29th.
4. The IC Title Belt
Various historians will suggest that the Intercontinental Championship is the most prestigious singles title in the WWE, and while that might have been true once-upon-a-time, the current state of the belt is questionable at
best
. I remember a six-year period lasting from 2003 until 2008, where the IC championship wasn't defended at Wrestlemania. That's ridiculous—especially when research uncovers an eleven-year streak of defenses broken only by the "Hollywood Backlot Brawl" at Wrestlemania 12. I think it was probably the influx of WCW championships, such as the Cruiserweight and U.S. titles, that watered down the IC belt. When the roster was split, I imagine pushing the Intercontinental Champion as a main eventer might have been the better route to take, rather than introducing a
SECOND
world championship. All that being said, I think we
COULD
be on the verge of a new era for the white leather IC belt. Just because the title wasn't defended at one third of all Wrestlemanias, doesn't mean there haven't been an enormity of stellar champions since, including Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, and even Dolph Ziggler. The shenanigans revolving around the "stolen" title belt aside, the opening matchup between Ambrose and Barrett did more than just offer a comedic outlet for R Truth, it introduced each of the key players going forward. I think everyone involved, including the former NWA world champion R Truth, has a good shot at becoming the next champion. I don't want Ambrose to win, as I feel both he and Barrett are the kind of unestablished talent that's tainted the title, especially as Wade has held the belt what—FOUR times, already? Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper are both incredibly talented workers, either of whom I would be happy to see walk out of Santa Clara holding the championship title high. But
truth
be told, as much as I love Ron Killings, there's no plausible finish that doesn't include Daniel Bryan wearing the belt, leading 70,000 fans in a "Yes" chant. If the WWE plans to build the U.S. championship with John Cena, then who better to bring back a level of dignity to another historic title belt than Daniel Bryan? I also imagine the WWE isn't interested in another mutiny should Bryan fail to win a big match, particularly at Wrestlemania 31. The intercontinental championship might be a consolation prize for now, but I predict exponential growth for the title and its future holders, mainly due to the countless number of NXT stars set to break through to the main roster.
3. Axelmania!
I pick a lot of my moments based on what they represent, or what they might lead to later on—but this was truly a
must-see
moment that I dare say isn't going to lead anywhere. John Cena came out and addressed the Newark audience, talking about how he wants to wrestle Rusev at �Mania, but will instead enter his name in the "Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal." This doesn't sit well with Stephanie McMahon for SOME reason—did Cena say
anything
disrespectful? I understood the idea of Stephanie taking offense to Cena throwing around a name like Andre, but he didn't do it in a blasphemous way. He simply stated that he would be entering the �Battle Royal. The back and forth between the fourth-generation McMahon and the fifteen time world champion was outstanding; I love it when Stephanie gets on her moral high horse in situations like this, suggesting that Cena can't just announce he's in a match—"since when do Superstars book their own matches?" This continued until the BIGGEST pop of the night; as Cena argued with Stephanie, the music hit and Curtis Axel appeared, wearing a Hulkamania-style t-shirt with "Axel" replacing "Hulk." What really moved me about this segment was a combination of how over Curtis Axel was, and how great he came across on the microphone. He's clearly been rehearsing in the mirror, as he didn't slip or stumble, and made every word count in making the overture to challenge John Cena at Wrestlemania. Personally, I would really like to see that match—not more than Cena vs. Rusev II, but I think there's true potential in an Axel/Cena squabble, especially if John Cena can capture the U.S. championship. Axel was in the zone, as he mimicked Hulk Hogan's mannerisms
PERFECTLY
. But John Cena wasn't done talking just because he was set to compete. In a calm and cool tone, Cena warned Curtis that he should
really
get out of the ring, because if the match starts, he "will not walk out." The match was a squash, but the story of the segment was the shirt-ripping and pandering by Axel. I'll admit that I've been down on this guy since he split from Paul Heyman, but given his extraordinary pedigree, I think we've just now started to see what the "Axe Man" is capable of.
2. Triple H Fires Booker T
While the showdown between Triple H and Sting is sure to be the biggest match at �Mania, I'm not 100% confident in the way that WWE is structuring their rivalry. For one thing, WCW closed
FOURTEEN
years ago—why is this program based on WWF's feud with World Championship Wrestling? I think there's a story to be told based on what Booker suggested in the ring with Hunter; perhaps the reason Sting never signed has more to do with the political atmosphere in the WWE, rather than his desire to continue on with the NWA. There's been a lot of rumors in the past about Hunter and his "friends" burying talent before they have a chance to get over, so there's certainly a chance Triple H didn't want Steve Borden stealing his spotlight in 2001. With Rey Mysterio now gone, Booker T is the last vestige of WCW, outside of the U.S. championship, so it makes all the sense in the world for him to get involved in a WCW storyline. I thought Triple H's promo was really good, and it helped fill in the gaps between 2001 and the upcoming match at �Mania. I wasn't sure what to expect when Triple H "fired" Booker T. Obviously he wasn't really fired, this isn't TNA—people aren't
terminated
on television when they least expect it. But I didn't think he was going to invite Book' back to the announce desk so soon. I thought for sure he would have let the �Universe believe that he fired Booker T, only to have him return the following week. But I guess it worked as a part of what Triple H was trying to convey, and that is the greatest extent of his power in the WWE. I hope to hear from Sting before the match, perhaps he'll have some incite as to how the past fourteen years have been for him as an outsider looking in. I think it's safe to say Sting will go over at Wrestlemania, he'll probably hang around the roster for a year, wrestle Undertaker in Dallas, and go into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2016.
1. "The Daily Show" starring Seth Rollins
It's funny how celebrity involvement works in professional wrestling; oftentimes outside personalities get booed off the stage, as was the case with Kathie Lee and Hoda during their Susan G. Komen cross-promotional appearance. But sometimes a guest clicks in a way that even the most ardent internet fans are impressed, and that's what we had tonight with the Daily Show's Jon Stewart. I was confused as to how a TV show from a Viacom network might interact with Universal properties, but was pleasantly surprised when I heard the official Daily Show theme, and saw a pretty convincing mock-set. Seth was pretty entertaining, and made me laugh on occasion with his routine jabs at Jon Stewart's success as a film director. I respect Jon Stewart because he's obviously a wrestling fan. Both he and his pal Adam Sandler can be seen at multiple events on either side of the country. When Jon listed some of the most influential names in history, such as Bruno, Hogan, and Austin, he clearly knew what he was talking about, which made me trust what he had to say relating to Seth's position at Wrestlemania. Leave it to a comedian to get to the point—"What has the Authority done for Seth Rollins?" As Jon said, it's not Seth in the main event at Wrestlemania, it's not Seth challenging for the world title, and no matter what, it won't be Seth who
reigns
supreme in California. I really liked the brutal honesty from Stewart, playing Devil's advocate, even suggesting that Seth Rollins might be too good for the Authority. I especially enjoyed Stewart's repartee with J&J Security—I imagine the "Katzenjammer Kids" reference went well over the head of the WWE Universe. In the end, Jon Stewart walked the line of sensibility to perfection; he didn't engage in an official match such as Seth Green, but he also didn't half-ass his appearance as did Al Sharpton. He came to Monday Night Raw with a purpose, and that was to use his enormous celebrity to enhance the developing program between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins. He wasn't there to push a book, or a movie, or even his upcoming comedy special that was mentioned in passing after his appearance. Following the low-blow to Rollins, Jon Stewart ran up the ramp swinging his jacket in victory. When he got to the back, he gave the best interview of the night, frantically inquiring whether or not he was safe backstage. Jon Stewart proved tonight that he is more than just a celebrity, he is a member of the WWE Universe, and for
one night
, he was a SUPERSTAR!
I'm still not sure what kind of main event to expect out of Brock Lesnar, an unpredictable world champion with no contract in place after �Mania, and Roman Reigns, who has yet to connect with the WWE Universe. I'm quite impressed with the WWE's effort in building up the undercard in such a dynamic way. About three months ago I started writing an article about John Cena as IC champion, and how a Superstar of his magnitude could positively influence the title. I ended up scrapping the idea however, as Cena is now challenging for the U.S. belt and Daniel Bryan is in the intercontinental hunt. I'll be the first to admit that the WWE's current landscape is littered with potholes and pitfalls, but it reminds me of that old saying—about breaking eggs to make an omelet? I think I'll leave you with that. Until next week this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat and to follow me on Facebook by LIKING "Mark Haggerty's Pro Wrestling."
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Hunchamania: Fastlane 2015 Folks, we are on the road to WrestleMania 31, and we are driving in the fast lane (see what I did there? I'm so clever). WWE brings us this new "special event" this Sunday, and I must say- there is a lot to look forward to. The February slot in the PPV […]
Hunchamania: Fastlane 2015
Folks, we are on the road to WrestleMania 31, and we are driving in the fast lane (see what I did there? I'm so clever). WWE brings us this new "special event" this Sunday, and I must say- there is a lot to look forward to.
The February slot in the PPV cycle has always been a mixed bag. Feuds were either resolved so top stars could move on to different challengers at the Grandaddy the following month (Austin-HHH 2001), new feuds are set up to take us into Mania (Orton-Rey), or big matches occur that may even be better suited for the big event the next month (the criminally underrated and overall excellent Angle-Taker SHOULD have taken place at Mania 22….thanks a lot Batista).
In recent years we have been subject to the Elimination Chamber PPV. A great gimmick match that felt completely out of place in the pre Mania slot. Not only was the risk of injury to a top star higher in the dangerous match, but it was also a huge gimmick that often felt forced. Challengers like Santino, John Morrison, and Kofi Kingston were always given spots in the match, when we all knew they would barely even make the Mania card the next month. The first few installments of the Chamber match worked so well because there were legit contenders in every pod gunning for the world title. When the match was supplanted to the February slot it lost almost all of its luster. Sure we have seen some fun spots and pairings (the HHH-Taker final 2 comes to mind) overall I am happy to see the chamber go. Hopefully it will return to a PPV that could benefit from it where there are 6 legit contenders who have a claim to the title.
I also thought it was weird to place the chamber at the February PPV because it honestly wasn't needed. It worked well when there was 2 world titles, but the PPV never needed the rub of the gimmick match. The allure of the road to Wrestlemania is enough to sell me on the February PPV. Just use it to end some feuds and start some new angles for the next month and I am sold. That being said, this year's FastLane was looking like a legit throw away PPV at first. We knew Brock wasn't going to be wrestling, and after Royal Rumble it seemed most the top 3-4 matches were already in stone: Sting-HHH, Rusev-Cena, Brock-Reigns all looked like locks for San Francisco.
However, WWE has done a pretty great job of making us question the seemingly predictable card. Now I fully believe we will get all 3 of those matches, plus most of the other rumored matches on the card, but FastLane will at least be an intriguing stop along the way, with some fascinating booking decisions I did not expect.
Intercontinental Championship Match- Bad News Barrett vs Dean Ambrose
The theme up and down this card is unpredictability. I think the IC title match, which I suspect with be the hot opener, could really go either way. Barrett has only been back from injury a month and was handed the IC title his first night back. WWE is clearly behind Barrett. The man has been IC pretty much any time he hasn't been injured in the past 2 years. It seems that they really want him to succeed, but injuries and bad luck keep getting in his way. While I am not a fan of his bad news gimmick (just seems more face leaning than heel), I cannot deny that it is over. Also over- Dean Ambrose. The man turns every goofy situation written for him into gold. I've seen people complain that Dean is getting "buried" or tossed aside. This is simply laughable. He has main evented more PPVs than Roman Reigns, and has been a focal point of WWE programming since the Shield split. Ambrose is a great talent, and loses don't really affect him or his character. Ambrose is simply about anarchy. WWE is taking the more classic approach with Ambrose and letting him get white hot in the mid to top of the card. He will be IC champ this calendar year, and possibly challenge for the world title by year's end (although I don't think he even needs to be in that spot to be effective). If the Andre battle royal takes place this year, Dean will win it. But he won't win the IC title, at least not on this night.
Bad News Wade retains.
Cody �Stardust' Rhodes vs Goldust
Cheap Heat grandmaster of productivity- Mark Haggerty- and I recently did a mock draft to choose our top 10 wrestlers we want to start a company with. You'll see more on that soon, but I am going to spoil one of my draft choices here- Cody Rhodes. I have been a Cody fan dating back to the Legacy days. I knew he was the break out star of the two young guns, and he has quietly had a great mid card run. Cody has shown how incredibly versatile he can be. He can play the face, the heel, the comedy act, or the bat shit crazy Stardust character. His Dr. Doom character was my personal favorite, the one that led to his all-time best and most underrated match against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 27. Rhodes can do it all. I have loved the Dust Brothers team, but feel that it has run its course. Every part of me hopes their blow off, and long rumored Goldust retirement match, takes place at WrestleMania. And I hope that match is Cody, not Stardust, taking on Goldust. As far as I can tell the match this Sunday will be Stardust wrestling Sunday, not Cody. Hopefully this leads to the return of Cody for Mania, and finally a major heel push after. One can dream right? Stardust has been a great fun character, and I hope he gets brought back down the line, even in a multiple personality story line at some point. But I think it's time for Cody to return. I see this match ending in
NO CONTEST
of some sorts, leading to Cody finally dropping the Stardust character for the blow off match next month.
Tag Team Championship- The Usos vs Tyson Kidd and Cesaro
I legit marked out last month when Kidd and Cesaro wore Brass Ring Club shirts to the ring. I am still seriously contemplating purchasing one because… c'mon… that's just cool.
Kidd and Cesaro are my favorite team in a long time. Both guys seem to want to prove themselves week after week and they have really lit a fire into the tag team division. What a great booking decision pairing them together. The Usos have been tag champs for … 4 years now? Not sure, but it seems like they will always hold the belts. I don't see a future past a tag team for Jimmy and Jey, and they are way over, so I know they will stick together for a while. However, I think the time is now to reward Cesaro and Kidd with a title win, even if it's just a month long reign- BOLD PREDICTION but
Kidd and Cesaro
take home the gold Sunday night.
Diva's Championship- Niki Bella vs Paige
When all the controversy came out last year with CM Punk, everyone on the internet seemed to assume days were numbered for AJ Lee. Well, to their credit, WWE has treated AJ with nothing but respect. She was the top Diva last year, holding the belt on 2 different occasions, and winning Diva of the year (do you really think AJ would have won if they weren't behind her?). There seemed to be no retaliation against AJ for the actions of her husband. Anytime AJ has missed seems to be by her own accord, and any time off seems to have been granted. And I am happy WWE were the bigger man here and treated her like the star she was, as opposed to the star she's married to.
With that being said, and with the breaking news of the potentially massive lawsuit between CM Punk and Doc Amman, one has to question- when is it the right time for WWE and AJ Lee to cut ties. I think the time is now. I am a big AJ supporter, but I can only imagine it may be a hostile work environment for her no matter what the outcome of the lawsuit is. Can you imagine if AJ gets inured and Doc Amman has to work on her? I cannot see that being fun. AJ has had a great run, and is easily the top Diva since the Trish/Lita days, but her associations may lead to some uncomfortable and awkward situations. WWE has some of the best female wrestlers in the world down in NXT. Once talents like Charlotte and Bayley, and later on Sasha Banks, are brought up the main roster, we can hopefully expect the Diva's boom we have all wanted for a while. And while I would love AJ Lee to be a part of that…it seems like time has past her by.
As for the current state of active Diva's, it's not actually as bad as you think. Niki Bella has been a surprisingly impressive champion. Her in ring work has been better than it has any right to be. She described herself as the "powerhouse" of the division, and I have to agree. As for her opponent this Sunday- Paige- what can be said? I am happy to see her back at the top of the division where she belongs. Paige is a GREAT in ring talent, and I think this match could go far to elevate the division. It all comes down to time, as with most Diva's matches in this era. NXT has proven that women's wrestling is worth investing in, so why not give your main roster girls a showcase? Alas, I don't think Fastlane will be the night to do so.
Niki wins
with shenanigans setting up a Mania mutli-lady rematch.
Seth Rollins, Kane, and Big Show vs Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, and Ryback
Is this match announced? Trusty old Wikipedia says it is, so let's say it is. This feud has been going on since before Survivor Series, with no end in sight. I really think we will see some sort of variation on this match at WrestleMania this year, probably without Rollins. Ziggler deserves his time to shine at the big event this year, but short of the rumored Daniel Bryan match, I just don't see any singles match happening for the Showoff. If you haven't seen the Ziggler-Rollins match from this past Monday's Raw I highly recommend it. An awesome match, and the main roster's response to the great matches happening down in NXT. Check it out.
Rollins, Kane, and Big Show
win here, setting up a quasi-rematch at Mania.
US Title Match- Rusev vs John Cena
How awesome would it be to have John Cena as the US Champ again? Talk about putting that title back on the map. Despite whatever the "smart" wrestling fan you are friends with is telling, John Cena has actually had a slight character change in the past few weeks. And I don't think many people are seeing the potential storylines that will come out of it. In case you missed it, Cena has slowly been turning into the grizzled veteran who will do anything to protect his spot. His promo work has been great and this feud with Rusev isn't your normal Cena feud- meaning Rusev actually has a chance to win. Even us Cena lovers can agree that John doesn't need/shouldn't get the first victory over Rusev. That seems too predictable. Even if he gets it eventually, it won't be Sunday night. Cena won't tap but I see
Rusev winning via more shenanigans or a DQ finish
to continue this feud. I stand by my claim from last August that we will see Cena vs Rusev at Mania, with Hogan in Cena's corner.
Sting will respond to HHH's challenge, but HHH will get the upper hand via some sort of beat down on Sting. This will set up Sting' first ever WWE match at WrestleMania 31. This is the match Sting needs and deserves. No other opponent is worthy of Sting's first match but Hunter and I expect this to be a really fun ride.
Number 1 Contender's Match- Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan
I have to give credit where credit is due- I did NOT expect that we would see Reigns vs Bryan, especially now. WWE has done a masterful job of baiting us all into this storyline. A lot has been made of Reigns not getting the response WWE wanted. But in all honestly- he has been getting solid responses from non smark crowds. The casual fan is into and behind Roman Reigns. The problem is that EVERY fan is into and behind Daniel Bryan. I cannot recall a wrestler as over as Bryan in a long long long time. And WWE is using him very wisely. Folks- Daniel Bryan will NEVER be the number one face on the roster. Yes, I want him in that role, you want him in that role, the WWE Universe wants him that role. But once you come to accept that he will never be top guy, you can enjoy Bryan even more. Bryan will fill that HBK role of top guy who will always be close to the main event, putting on clinics with just about everyone on the roster. And that IS something to be excited about.
I admit I am not the biggest Reigns fan. But he's the guy that won the Royal Rumble. I DO NOT want another tainted Royal Rumble winner. So for as much as I love Bryan, I want Reigns to win here. Let's give him a shot guys, what's the worst that can happen? Reigns has actually been getting more over working with Bryan.
As for the match itself, I expect an incredibly hot crowd. They will split 70/30 in Bryan's favor, but Bryan will work hard to make Reigns look as good as possible. This is a match designed to make Reigns look good. I expect it to be hard hitting, fast paced, and tons of fun. As for the ending I see it going one of two ways. Either Reigns gets the singles clean victory he desperately needs, or someone interferes and costs Bryan the match (Rollins?) setting up whatever Bryan does at Mania. Either way
Reigns wins.
No triple threat this year.
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Mark Adam Haggerty
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9733
WWE Super Star Wars: Wrestlers as Rebels Written by Mark Adam Haggerty From a galaxy far, far away to the most exciting in-ring action on this planet, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I'm here to bring you the most thrilling mash-up since 50 Cent traded tunes with Nine Inch Nails. Aside from my […]
WWE Super Star Wars:
Wrestlers as Rebels
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
From a galaxy far, far away to the most exciting in-ring action on this planet, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I'm here to bring you the most thrilling mash-up since 50 Cent traded tunes with Nine Inch Nails. Aside from my tireless devotion to the sport of Sports Entertainment, I’ve always been a big Star Wars fanatic as well. I probably started believing in Hulkamania about the same time I began learning the ways of The Force. Just as wrestling is starting to appear again on various cable channels, so too has Star Wars returned but in a much larger way. With the new Marvel comic series, Rebels on Disney XD, and of course the highly anticipated Episode VII: “The Force Awakens,” I thought it might be a fun time to cast our favorite Superstars of the WWE Universe as some of the most iconic characters from the
Star Wars Universe
! Who’s good and who’s evil? Who uses a lightsaber, and who prefers a ‘trusty blaster?’ Let’s find out!
John Cena – Luke Skywalker
Two small town kids with dashing good looks and dreams outside of their immediate surroundings, both John Cena and Luke Skywalker started from humble beginnings. For Cena it was outside the city of Boston, born to a family with little in the way of influence outside their twenty-six square mile town of Newbury. Luke Skywalker grew up an orphan so-to-speak, raised by his aunt and uncle on a moisture farm on the far away desert planet of Tatooine. For Cena and Skywalker, the thought of competing on WWE television or training at the Imperial Navy seemed miles, if not entire star-systems away from where they were. But despite the odds, both John Cena and Luke Skywalker prevailed in their respective quests; Cena debuted with the WWE and Skywalker cast off from Tatooine and joined the Rebel Alliance. Both Luke Skywalker and John Cena are proven, selfless and respectable members of their teams and among their communities, each having more than once put their own well-being on the line to help someone else. Luke Skywalker is considered the lead protagonist of the original Star Wars Trilogy, and in many ways, the consummate hero John Cena has been the same for the WWE since 2004.
Ric Flair – Obi-wan Kenobi
When the Emperor opted to enact "Order #66," the cue that would see almost every Jedi massacred, the entire Galaxy changed and Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the lucky few who managed to escape certain doom. Just like "Old Ben" Kenobi, Ric Flair was brought up in a different era where those of his ilk were far more prevalent and free to practice their craft in a number of locations without fear of extinction. But then Vince McMahon's WWF took over, putting dozens of territories out of business, and thousands of wrestlers out of work. In addition to the longevity they each endured albeit living lifestyles with exceptionally limited expectancies, Flair and Kenobi were instrumental in influencing the future through both teaching directly, and leading by example. Even at their accelerated ages, both The Nature Boy and Kenobi are considered masters of their respective arts, and despite the oftentimes dated-delivery, many fans prefer Ben Kenobi's sword fighting and Ric Flair's wrestling to whatever the modern alternative might be.
Trish Stratus – Princess Leia
The hardest part of finding
one
woman to fill the shoes of perhaps the most esteemed member of the Alliance is that every female in wrestling appears to possess at least one of the qualities required to run the Rebellion. When you look at Princess Leia's impressive list of attributes, you realize that anyone lacking in said categories would have a hard time keeping up any sort of consistent career in the wrestling industry. Princess Leia is beautiful, yet cunning with the ability to curtail her character to better fit her surroundings; she speaks in a clear transcontinental accent to Grand Moff Tarkin, while reverting to her regular sassy disposition around the rag tag renegades come to rescue her. Leia has proven time and again that she doesn't mind mixing it up with the men, even suffering a blaster wound on the Forest Moon of Endor. As I racked my brain for someone
nearly
as tough, I had a list of about fifteen legendary ladies' wrestlers but only one made sense. Trish Stratus is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and earned that right through hard work and tremendous dedication. Trish is the definitive Diva, a fitness model-turned pro wrestler who paved the way for the modern age of woman who look pretty but can also kick ass.
Steve Austin – Han Solo
Few outlaws have ever been known to "Fly Casual" quite like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Whether it be piloting a cement truck or riding along on the back of a Zamboni, the Texas Rattlesnake could captain just about anything without much more than a six-pack of beer and a plain black vest. The similarities between Solo and Austin are numerous, and go beyond their choice of sleeveless wardrobe, including their shared disdain for authority. As a youth, Han Solo quickly learned to forgo his own ethics in exchange for cold hard credits, spending his formidable years traveling the galaxy, performing questionable tasks for ruthless individuals. "Stone Cold" appeared in the WWF under the tutelage of the "Million Dollar Man," just another �Corporation' lackey to do Ted DiBiase's bidding—a
MERCENARY
if you will. Just like General Solo, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin sacrificed common decency on a regular basis for the betterment of his career, however both men would see the light, finishing their respective runs on the side of good, rather than evil.
Chewbacca – Mick Foley
You may think I chose Mick Foley to co-pilot the Millennium Falcon based solely on his disheveled appearance, and while that's certainly part of it, the similarities between Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy and the Mr.
Itchy's
Baby Boy are numerous and go much deeper than fur-level. We all know that Wookies are "known to pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose," but colorful Cactus Jack's brand of violence was most potent when he was
WINNING
. Both Chewbacca and Mick Foley are hardened warriors, willing to risk their own lives for the bigger picture—a title belt or a life debt, both beings fight tooth-and-nail for what they believe in. Whether they were raised on Kashyyyk or Long Island, each individual possesses a ruthless intensity that can only be quieted by the warmth of friends and family. In addition to their personality traits, Foley and Chewie have comparable mannerisms, including the way they walk and the nonsensical noises they are known to emit during battle. In the end the most endearing aspect of both Mick Foley and Chewbacca is their overwhelming sense of uncompromised loyalty to their loved ones; Mankind was always there for the Rock and Chewbacca will always be there for Han Solo—unless he a
MOON
falls on him again.
Threepio & R2 – Santino & Hornswoggle
The Star Wars Universe is a dark place to live, regardless of �Era or political climate. There is a perpetual �War' going on throughout the entire saga, without but a single rotation between each catastrophic crises. Wars wage on a weekly-basis inside the WWE Universe as well, an equally scary place to be when every issue is settled inside the squared-circle. But even amidst the animosity, audiences like to laugh and forget about the violence—if only for a moment. C-3PO and R2-D2, otherwise known as "Threepio and Artoo," are the only two characters to have appeared in all six Star Wars movies so far, providing much of the comic relief during the darkest moments of the franchise. Monday Night Raw and Smackdown have always worked hard to provide laughter without going too far; two of the most entertaining characters in recent memory are Santino Marella and Hornswoggle. Not only are the two Superstars anatomically comparable to their Droid-counterparts, but they also prove that looks can be deceiving. Both sets of unlikely heroes might look timid, but when push-comes-to-shove, their strength is in their courage and resilience.
Lando Calrissian – The Rock
Well, we might as well match the first-and-only black WWE Champion with the only black character in the Original Trilogy—it'd be weird if I cast
HEATH SLATER
as Lando, right? But Dwayne Johnson and Lando Calrissian equate several other parallels beyond their complexion—they're both Smooth Operators who walk the line between good and evil if only to make the dark side look foolish. The Rock was aligned with Vince McMahon as his corporate title holder before finally submitting to the adoration of the audience, earning his spot on top as the "People's Champion." Lando, although a seasoned smuggler and mercenary, was responsible for the welfare of an entire civilization in "Cloud City," and therefore signed a deal with the devil—Darth Vader. Of course Lando turned babyface just like the Rock, and has since remained loyal to the people who mean the most. When Han Solo was encased in carbonite, Lando took it upon himself to infiltrate Jabba's palace to save his friend; when Mick Foley was all alone on Raw, standing toe-to-toe with Evolution, the Rock returned to the WWE
to save his friend.
Jabba the Hutt – Brock Lesnar
Living in the Outer Rim certainly has its advantages, and regardless of whether you're located in the Dune Sea or the Great White North, the key to a low-profile appears to be privacy. It might seem strange, pairing the muscle-bound "Beast" Brock Lesnar with the slimy space slug Jabba the Hutt. But ignoring their outward appearances, Brock could have more in common with the intergalactic gangster than anyone might realize. Of course both "monsters" choose to make residence off the grid and away from the celebrity-lifestyle. Brock Lesnar is perhaps the most powerful Superstar, politically-speaking, in the WWE—without having any real sort of stroke whatsoever. He has been able to make his own schedule and seems to dictate the course of where his own career might be heading. The same can be said for the leader of the Hutt Clan, who doesn't have any power in the Senate, but still wields considerable sway in the criminal underworld. Both Jabba and Brock are huge parts of their respective Universes, but neither character makes more than but a handful of appearances, making their time on screen something to behold. Of course no criminal mastermind could feel complete without surrounding himself the most vile and reprehensible scum imaginable—Jabba spends his days with mercenaries and assassins, while Brock Lesnar needs but one advisor, Paul Heyman.
Boba Fett – CM Punk
Without question, two of the most recognizable characters in pop culture are Boba Fett and CM Punk. Boba Fett comes from hazy beginnings. Born in a laboratory on Kamino and raised to adolescence by Jango Fett, he spent his teenage years under the watchful eye of bounty hunters such as Aurra Sing and Cad Bane. CM Punk was born into a broken home, and made a place for himself with friends that would later become
his
extended family, and soon found wrestling as a way to escape the reality of his surroundings. Boba and Punk each overcame the tremendous adversity with which they had to contend and continued to play by their own rules until both reached the pinnacle of their individual professional success. In 2006, CM Punk debuted on ECW for the WWE and managed to become a household name after eight years of main event-caliber contests. Boba had his share of disappointments, but ultimately honed his abilities to become the most deadly bounty hunter in the galaxy. Despite appearing very briefly in the overall canon of their separate sagas, both Boba Fett and CM Punk still maintain an enthusiastic following. Punk is now retired and Boba Fett is technically dead, but you'd be hard-pressed to find two more "over" individuals in either the Star Wars or WWE Universe.
Darth Maul – The Undertaker
There has never been a more enigmatic entity in the world of Sports Entertainment than the "Dead Man" the Undertaker. The wrestling ring is already a dangerous place, wrought with some of the meanest and toughest men on the planet. But the Undertaker introduced a different kind of terror, never before seen inside a squared-circle. In 1999 George Lucas premiered
another
kind of terror, "The Phantom Menace," which featured a character unlike anything we had come to expect to see in the Star Wars Universe. Darth Maul wasn't mean and mysterious like Darth Vader; he wasn't evil and eccentric like the Emperor—Darth Maul was a terrifying warrior with red and black skin, wielding a double-bladed red lightsaber. When the Undertaker debuted, he single-handedly dismantled an entire Survivor Series team and within one year would capture the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Maul proved equally valuable by executing one of the most revered members of the Jedi Order, Qui-Gon Jinn. Both the Undertaker and Maul have younger half-brothers with whom they've each shared an alliance. Finally, the Dead Man and the Dothomirian each seem to possess �unearthly' abilities, as both men met their end on multiple occasions, and were both resurrected by some sort of sorcery.
Darth Vader – Triple H
Possibly the most polarizing figure in any Universe is the dominant face of the government who must rule with an iron-fist. Coming from the same suburban beginnings as John Cena, Triple H was raised in New England and never dreamed that he might one day be in charge of the most prolific "Empire" in wrestling. Darth Vader was born into a life of servitude, hoping against hope to one-day escape the squalor and travel the galaxy. While tragedy and triumph would make for heroic figures in Cena and Skywalker, the dark side would manifest in both Darth Vader and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Triple H was the leader of the "DX Army," a group of individuals going to battle in the WWE Universe. Across the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker led the Galactic Military against the Separatists during a conflict that would be known as the "Clone Wars." Triple H could have become the biggest babyface in the industry, but as fear led to anger, and anger led to hate, hate would eventually lead to suffering for anyone standing between Triple H and his thirteen world titles. Similarly Anakin allowed his own selfish insecurities to lead him down a dark path toward pure evil. Perhaps Triple H might learn from Anakin Skywalker before it's too late, as Darth Vader's role as the "Authority" in the Empire would eventually be his downfall.
Emperor Palpatine – Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon was born amongst the rolling green hills of North Carolina, while Sheev Palpatine was born on the lush garden planet of Naboo. Neither man was entirely satisfied with the current state of their environment; McMahon had a vision for a global wrestling enterprise, while Palpatine hungered for a central government that didn't back down from the bureaucrats. Vince began by securing established talent from around the country, as he built his World Wrestling Federation. Palpatine became the Senator of Naboo, representing his planet in the Galactic Senate, while orchestrating his own agenda in secret. Vince's "secret plan" involved taking over his competition and their local broadcast affiliates, rendering their product useless without the weekly ratings. Palpatine was eventually elected Supreme Chancellor and managed to play his own clone troopers against the droid army, with whom he was also in league. Just as Palpatine used two warring factions to his benefit, Vince McMahon chose to invest in
several
smaller promotions to create competition in his own locker room. The "Clone Wars" came to a close when Palpatine named himself Emperor of the "First Galactic Empire," while the Monday Night Wars ended and Vince McMahon was declared the undisputed "King of Pro Wrestling." Whether their methods are manipulative or sheer madness, both Palpatine and McMahon will forever be considered master architects of their own respective Universes.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this article as it was my pleasure to mix-and-match my two favorite things in the WORLD. Star Wars and the WWE have always been two major constants in my life—no matter where I live or what I'm doing, I can always rely on either franchise to bring a smile to my face. Please feel free to share this with your friends on social media, as well as podcasts and fan pages that might be interested in this crazy little comparison. Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty with Cheap-Heat.com, reminding you that we're only 42 days away from Wrestlemania, and 303 days away from Star Wars Episode VII: "The Force Awakens."
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Mark Adam Haggerty
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9629
The Highlight of the Night The Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty "Yeah, we tease him a lot �cause we got him on the spot"—WELCOME BACK! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, folks that fall somewhere in between allow me to introduce myself: my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this is […]
The Highlight of the Night
The Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
"Yeah, we tease him a lot �cause we got him on the spot"—WELCOME BACK! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, folks that fall somewhere in between allow me to introduce myself: my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this is the "Highlight of the Night," the once-weekly top five countdown of what's worth watching on WWE Monday Night Raw. This week Raw comes to us live from Ohio where the WWE is tip-toeing closer and closer to the free February pay-per-view spectacular Fastlane. According to the Wrestling Observer, the WWE has chosen to take an alternate route on the Road to Wrestlemania. How might that effect the main event title picture, and will it impact the upcoming confrontation between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns? Let's get down to it and start talking about why this week's episode was a step in the right direction in terms of remedying Raw and preparing certain Superstars for their appearance next month at Wrestlemania.
5. Paul Heyman Speaks for Brock Lesnar
For someone so immersed in the wrestling industry, I don't really follow the Raw-reports about who and what to expect each Monday night. So imagine my surprise when I got to see the WWE world heavyweight champion so soon after his appearance at the Royal Rumble just two weeks ago. I find myself at constant odds with people over the true
value
of Brock Lesnar, especially now that his current contract is creeping closer to a close. I've been extremely vocal as to how much I've enjoyed the scattered presence of both Brock and the belt, so I'm particularly fond of each rare occasions I get to see the champ on TV. Paul Heyman led the Beast into the ring and did all of the talking; the former "Mr. Dangerously" warned both Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan as to what they'll be getting into, should either man walk out of Memphis victorious. I say "should" of course, because as rumors run rampant we begin to hear rumblings about
another
triple threat main eventing �Mania. No comment on that—for now. I just think it's awfully cumbersome, especially with a three way dance headlining last month's Royal Rumble as well. I think the Powers-that-Be were wise to keep Lesnar off the mic, particularly if the idea is to push Lesnar as an unstoppable heel. If Brock is truly finished with the WWE for the time being, I suspect the only creative route to take is that of an evil monster, soon to be conquered in Santa Clara by whomever is named "The one who beat the one in twenty-one and one." But there's still a chance Brock will opt to continue wrestling, especially with the UFC in its current state of disarray stemming from
several
mainstream drug violations. Brock could of course sign with Bellator, but given his personal relationship with UFC's Dana White—I think that's sort of a long shot. Brock could very well sign an extension keeping him in the WWE for another 6 months-to-a year, in which case we might begin to see a new babyface Brock begin to emerge. When the champion did his own talking leading into his three-way confrontation at the Royal Rumble, he made waves around the arena in terms of captivating a crowd like no other Superstar is able to do. And all he did was say "baby" over and over. Imagine a Beast Incarnate devoid of Paul Heyman running rough shod over diabolical heels such as Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and RUSEV! The WWE is well aware of what kind of money-making machine they have in their possession, it's just a matter of how high they turn up the power.
4. Ziggler Seeks Revenge on Wyatt
My biggest gripe with the current main roster has been the lack of in-ring excitement, especially over the course of a three-hour broadcast like Monday Night Raw. This evening wasn't short on wrestling, although many of the matches were contests we've seen previously over the past few weeks. The second bout between Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt was just as enthralling as the first and just like its predecessor, this one-on-one battle had no trouble stealing the show for either individual. The crowd in Ohio appeared passionate about both Bray and Dolph when compared to some of the other talent for whom they had no reaction throughout the course of the night. I've never been an avid Dolph Ziggler supporter—I like the guy, but I've never been one clamoring for his push to the top. That being said I suspect the "Show Off" is being
written-off
once again. Since outlasting nine other Superstars at the Survivor Series, Dolph Ziggler seems to have fallen down the card to an elevated enhancement-level position. I don't think we're ever going to see Dolph Ziggler get squashed ala Barry Horowitz, but I don't think WWE Creative sees Dolph as anything other than an athletic Superstar who can sell. I'm sure quite a few residents of the WWE Universe were positive Dolph would earn the victory over the "Eater of Worlds," and who can blame them for thinking that? The WWE is notorious for constant "Even-Steven Booking," never allowing anyone the chance to build momentum without suffering a pointless loss on a random episode of Smackdown. I too thought the former world champion might get his retribution, but the bigger picture is one of Bray Wyatt and I realized that only a few moments into this match. The Road to Wrestlemania is a complex system of detours and pitfalls designed to keep unworthy combatants from competing on the Grandest Stage of Them All. The good money is that Bray Wyatt will seek an audience with the Dead Man, challenging the Undertaker to his first match since losing to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30. But what of Dolph Ziggler? Speculation went wild for a few days and then died regarding a potential "Battle of the Underdogs," featuring Dolph and Daniel Bryan. I hope Daniel has a bit more to do in Santa Clara than work a midcard match with Dolph, but if the alternative is wrestling
Sheamus
, I'm all about Dolph vs. Daniel at Levi's Stadium.
3. Rusev's Russian Propaganda
Alexander Rusev—because I believe characters need
two
names—is without question my favorite heel outside of the current King of Instagram, Seth Rollins. I watched Rusev grow from a green power lifter in the performance center, to a well-rounded highly psychological fighting machine on Raw. I'm sure the idea of positioning Lana alongside Rusev stemmed both from their pre-existing romance, as well as Rusev's
apparent
inability to speak English. But as we've learned in recent months, the "Bulgarian Brute" is not only fluent in our native tongue, but also capable of delivering some of the finest promos on WWE television. I'm sure Rusev is being scripted just the same as Dolph Ziggler and Ryback and all of the other Superstars who sound exactly the same, but the difference is Rusev is a caricature rather than a real-life character. Speaking as a writer, it is much easier to speak on behalf of someone when they have a predefined way of communicating. Rusev talks in short phrases and broken-English, so it's simple for a Creative team member to write for him, as opposed to someone such as Roman Reigns. I really enjoy how Lana uses sarcasm and backhanded compliments to dig her nails deep beneath the skin of the live crowds, and this week's anti-Cena "propaganda" video fell right in line with her anti-American character. John Cena was awesome as always; his speeches about working hard for the fans are so corny that they're almost cool. When John Cena started he would come to the ring wearing throwback jerseys featuring retired sports teams such as the LA Rams and the Washington Generals. Well after spending over ten years promoting "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect," Cena has become a throw-back in himself. Nobody listens to his clichéd monologues and says, "Yeah! John Cena is fighting for me! Because I'm a fan!" No! They're saying, "That John Cena is a dork, but that's why we love him." However even a dork with a comic book t-shirt of himself has his breaking point, and for John Cena it's when anybody messes with the Stars and Stripes. I'm looking forward to their match at Fastlane and would like to make a prediction: John Cena loses to Rusev and feels distraught over losing to the "Pride of the Russian Federation." He challenges Rusev to another match at Wrestlemania and for a month we get old school training montages featuring John Cena running in the snow and scaling stadium stairs.
Then
when it comes time to fight, John Cena hits the ring to his
original
music, because tonight's not about "Not Seeing" anybody—tonight's about teaching Rusev a lesson in "Basic Thuganomics." Word Lyfe.
2. Daniel Did All the Work
The main event began just as any other final match on Monday Night Raw—it was 7:50PST and we were about to watch a 5-on-2 handicap match. I was moments away from turning off my TV and catching up on "Better Call Saul," but decided to stick it out just in case anything interesting happened. The match went down much the way I assumed, with plenty of unfair advantages employed by the Authority, a kick-spot by Bryan on the Stooges, and several Superman Punches. Who's actually in charge of the Authority when Triple H and Stephanie aren't around? I mean obviously they're
always
around, Triple H even made an appearance earlier in the evening. But speaking in terms of Kayfabe, who is the default leader? I like to think Seth Rollins and Kane have an unspoken agreement whereby stating Kane is the boss, but Seth has unlimited freedom to do as he pleases. Like when parents hire a babysitter to watch their little kids, while a teenager is upstairs smoking pot in their bedroom. If you're a regular reader of my Raw review you'll notice that I fluctuate on my feelings for Glen Jacobs. I really like him when he's playing the evil authoritative role, appearing only to choke slam someone at the tail end of a match. But it's when he begins to mix it up in the ring that I flip flop as to what Kane's true purpose in the company should be. The Big Show sucks and he always has. Let me tell you something about the Big Show—he was cool in WCW because they introduced him as the "Son of Andre the Giant," which corresponded with Hulk Hogan's babyface run on top. He was cool during the Attitude Era because he made his appearance in a very surprising way and then it was like, "Oh wow! They've got
The Giant
in the WWF now!" He had some high spots including breaking the ring and holding the WWE's version of the ECW title, but aside from a few bullet points, the Big Show sucks and should transition out of the ring. Mercury and Noble are in the same age demographic as their supersized counterparts, but are perhaps among the most athletically gifted individuals in the match. Now it comes time to talk about Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. I don't really care for Roman, but I think he's doing his best to fix whatever the hell was wrong with him two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Since then he's seemed stronger, swifter, and far more confident. I'm curious as to who the WWE turns heel, if they decide to turn either individual. It would be easy enough to transition Roman into that spot given that a good majority of the �Universe still isn't sold on the former Muscle of the Shield. But I'm inclined to believe Bryan would be the best bad guy the WWE has had since CM Punk went rogue. Daniel Bryan has previously played a villain in the company, but did so as a second-rate goofball that was beaten at Wrestlemania in a matter of seconds. But the former ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson was a different sort of competitor; Danielson would regularly attempt to break his opponent's bones, as they clutched the ropes he'd scream: "
I HAVE �TIL FIVE!
" When the main event concluded and Reigns swooped in to earn the pin fall, Daniel began to become unhinged. Roman turned away, and Bryan pulled him back, instructing the "rookie" Reigns not to turn his back on him. Reigns disrespect Bryan again, leading the former WWE world heavyweight champion to shove the much-larger Roman Reigns clear across the ring, hollering, "I did all the work!" Reigns returned with a receipt in the form of a Spear, laying Bryan flat on the canvas beneath the gargantuan Wrestlemania banner.
1. Fake Sting Returns!
Okay so maybe it wasn't the real Jeff Farmer—that's the guy who played "Fake Sting," but tonight's brand of mind games harkened back to a time when segments were carefully planned and executed to perfection. Triple H is one of my favorite personalities in all of professional wrestling, both for his in-ring work as well as his outside contributions to the business. I think saying Triple H is one of the wisest men in all of Titan Towers is an understatement, and I'm always happy to see him spearhead a program that he feels passionate about. We may whine and complain about the current state of the tag division, or how awfully the WWE is treating Alex Riley, but more often than not the masses are silenced by the spectacle of whatever it is that Triple H is up to. Since this time last year Gary Mastriano and I have both said that Sting's only opponent inside the WWE's squared-circle should be the King of Kings; Sting shouldn't wrestle any of the up-and-coming talent and should instead focus his sights on a "dream match" with a fellow veteran of the Monday Night Wars. The current roster only features a handful of names active during those days, and as much as I love Mark Henry and the Undertaker, I think Sting could have his greatest performance with Triple. Granted Steve Borden is 55 years old, there's room to assume that this could be his best match
ever
. Ever? EVER! If you closely examine what Sting did in WCW, he had a great run of matches with Ric Flair, Vader, the Great Muta—but was ultimately responsible for working with statuesque bodybuilders like Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, and the Macho Man. Fast forward to TNA where Sting is working inside a six sided ring against the likes of Bubba Ray Dudley and Jeff Jarrett. While his matches with AJ Styles were decent enough, I wonder what kind of confrontation we can expect from Sting if he's working with one of the most consummate ring generals in history, as well as the COO of the WWE. I loved this promo because it allowed Hunter the chance to spread his villainous wings after coming off so clean-cut last week in his interview with Steve Austin. When the video began to roll my first question was: who the hell does Sting know in the production truck? Am I to believe Steve Borden made this video on his MacBook Air while on his patio at home in Dallas, Texas? Regardless, it was a really well produced vignette tying each strand of this saga together perfectly. Triple H was noticeably spooked by the affair and began to back-trot out of the ring, where he was met by a mysterious figure whose face was painted to resemble Sting. As the 13-time world champion attempted to scamper away from sight, the Titantron flashed the words, "I accept"—Sting will be in Memphis, Tennessee at Fastlane.
This evening's episode of Monday Night Raw featured nine matches, and since my most consistent complaint in recent months has been the lack of in-ring action I'm willing to consider this a successful show. Now that the WWE has reached a reasonable rate of three matches per hour, it's time they focus on booking Superstars against different opponents from week to week so that it doesn't seem like we're always watching the same old Usos match. The WWE advertised a face-to-face encounter with Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns for this week's Smackdown; what will the two men vying to become number one contender have to say to one another when they're once again confined to the same ring? Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been the "Highlight of the Night."
http://www.cheap-heat.com/top-6-wrestlemania-dream-matches/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/top-6-wrestlemania-dream-matches/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2015 14:45:55 +0000
Bill Wright
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9475
With the 31st anniversay of the biggest sports entertainment spectacle upon us, it’s time Cheap-Heat.com hits you with six dream matches. The following matches are all possible with the right monetary motivation. You may not agree with these six and thats ok! Comment below and tell us what you think Wrestelmania should look like. With […]
With the 31st anniversay of the biggest sports entertainment spectacle upon us, it’s time Cheap-Heat.com hits you with six dream matches. The following matches are all possible with the right monetary motivation.
You may not agree with these six and thats ok!
Comment below and tell us what you think Wrestelmania should look like. With out further delay, my six first Mania Dream bouts!
Hogan vs Cena:
While we all take our fair amount of free shots at both, both have done big things for WWE and in turn wrestling as a whole.
So Big Hogan wants one more match, and while Austin would be fun… Hulkamania vs Thuganomania is the most likely end for Hulk. Pass the torch to the guy who is this generations Hulk.
Let Hogans career end by his own choice which is a math with the man of WWE for the bast decade plus. Then Hogan’s career can retire after one last Mania match against the guy who is most like Hogan today.
Rock vs Triple H:
A legendary fued, now both are part timers. But both are living legends who have had one of the most epic rivalries in WWE history.
So what would it be like if these two gladiators had one final battle at Wrestlemania?
Undertaker vs Sting:
Sure HHH and Sting is gonna be epic but in reality Sting vs Taker is what we all want.
The two icons, a shadowy avenger and the undeniable phenom. I wouldn’t mind Wyatt and Taker but what I want is the dream match. Taker is virtually retired and thia may be the last chance we have, if ever for this dream match. Come on Vince make it happen!
Ryback vs Goldberg:
I know, makes less sense with a Face Ryback, but if you want Goldberg chants to vanish for good? Pay Goldberg what he wants for one year, let him and Ryback both have an unstoppable year and then unleash them at Mania. Let Ryback get the rub he needs to become one of the top five guys in WWE.
Austin vs CM Punk:
The most unlikely match, and it may never happen. but if I had one million subscribers and wanted to make two million, these two ultimate rebels in one dream match would be the dream.
It’d almost be as good as Punk vs Randy Savage, but alas it is too late for this. So bring us the ultimate anti-heroes back for one last Mania dance!
Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle:
That was one of the best matches in Mania history. If I called the shots I would have Angel return just to build this one match up as his retirement match.
The two would have one more legendary match up giving Lesnar more momentum whilst allowing Angle one last amazing run, and of course final match.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/my-top-10-grievances-for-wwe-2k15-the-video-game/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/my-top-10-grievances-for-wwe-2k15-the-video-game/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2015 02:49:43 +0000
Bill Wright
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9044
I know this isn’t a gaming site but WWE 2k15 is the latest installment in WWEs flagship gaming franchise.В Back in 2001 Thq/Aki finished their partnership with No Mercy on the N64. For years to come wrestling games would fall short and then it seemed THQ finally started to hit their stride in Smackdown vs Raw […]
I know this isn’t a gaming site but WWE 2k15 is the latest installment in WWEs flagship gaming franchise.В Back in 2001 Thq/Aki finished their partnership with No Mercy on the N64.
For years to come wrestling games would fall short and then it seemed THQ finally started to hit their stride in Smackdown vs Raw 2007.В Then THQ goes under and 2k picks the ball up and runs with it in 2k14 which I would argue was the best wrestling game since No Mercy.В Then comes the chance to really shine with their first Next Gen entry, and a shot at showing us how much better it can get.
Enter 2k15, the most disappointing sequal I have seen in years.
So let ud go in to the top ten reasons 2k and the transferees from THQ in this development team should be fed to Ryback.В In no particular order by the way so feel free to comment below and join the greivence party, or defen your 2k heroes.
#10 Smallest Roster In Years
I am not going to make this a huge list of every year before and how it character for character pales in comparison. В I will say last year saw Goldberg, Warrior, Andre and Yokozuna.В While the new additions of the Wyatts and a staggering 5 nXt wrestlers are nice, they hardly fill the void left by all the cuts this year.
Not to mention the Shield wasn’t given updated looks or music, and the New Age Outlaws who had a run through Mania and were in 2013 were not added this year.
It makes me wonder why NFL games have hundreds of names and even at times former year rosters, but WWE struggles to hit 90?В In my opinion there is no excuse to not offer every Hall of Famer, every Legends contract talent, and every single nXt and WWE star on contract.
It feels to me very lazy and a cheap way to keep milking your fans which will only tolerat that for so long.В Play Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption or GTA, then play 2k15 and tell me which one feels like a $70 game to you.В WWE games should build on what they deliver, and sadly this is just the start of our loss.
#9 Creation Suite Beatdown
Ok, so first they give us a Create a Finisher and say that any move you want to make you can.В But you can’t even make a Flip Piledriver?В Then they give us the Flip Piledriver but take away the Create a Finisher mode?В What you took away the Belt Creation too?В Stop taking stuff away… WHAT?!В You mean the Story Creator is gone too?В So what is left, Arenas and Create a Wrestler?В It is like they stripped this Suite to the bones, then cut back on how many slots you can work with.
I mean it is my Hard Drive isn’t it.
If I want 800 Created Characters shouldnt I be able to?В Why are you crushing all my dreams 2k… Why?
#8 No New Matches
This year we had Three Stages of Hell, Lumberjack Match, and a solid Survivor Series.В Which one would you like to relive?В Doesn’t matter cause you get no new matches, and you can forget the Ambulance and Casket matches in prior games.В 2k15 offers no new matches and barely touches the existing mode.
Why is it if all characters on game share the same move database, but while football games have whole teams going, wrestling can’t even match the 8 characters in the ring the f’n Dreamcast allowed.
We want 8 man tag matches, and Survivor Series.В I mean sure a 30 man rumble would be tough but even FPS games allow 16 online.
I am not buying the excuses guys, this is lazy!
#7 Glitches Welcome
Ok maybe I am being a little demanding on additions. I don’t feel at all unreasonable on the cuts. But for gosh sakes atleast get what you are doing right. Glitches everywhere even worse than 14!
I can almost never connect with Nevilles running basement dropkick, CM Punks swinging neckbreaker has more than once melted wrestlers together.В I have seen chairs have siezures, and collisions cause wrestlers to vanish through the ring or into the crowd never to be seen again (in that match).
I can’t stand having grade A matches that I have to reset because your glitches are so bad they crash my system… Even happened back to back once.
Last year 2k delivered, this year they mocked us I tell you!
#6 OMG with the OMGs
I love OMG moments, I hate needing 3 to hit signature moves for Reigns and Zayn.В Sure I get 3 needed to Showplex the ring into oblivion, even 3 to do the unmerciful Superplex to the outside.В But I have to save up 3 to do moves Reigns and Zayn are known for, and I don’t even get to save a 4th finisher so I can hit the spear after the running apron dropkick?
Sometimes it feels like the developers dont even watch the product.
Prime example, CM Punk does the high knee / line in the corner to what?В Oh yea set up for theflying elbow, which in this game is also a signature!В So unless I go and edit the moves myself (doing your job for you) then I can’t replicate the spot consecutively.
Pay attention guys. And while I am at it, you had some great OMG additions for signature characters but nothing new as a shared enviroment OMG like the Wyatt steel step assault or stage dives.В But what bothers me the most is you can’t give OMGs including dives to any CAW.В Not adding more I can let slide but the triple finisher crap and no CAW OMG is just aggrevating.
#5 :F’ Your nXt Gen
All wrestlers start out as Marks, so as a independent wrestler with 7 championship regins, two of which I never lost, I have no shame in sayin I am an nXt Mark.В With that being said, I hoped that with Attitude Era honored in 2013 and Wrestlemania honored in 2014, that maybe 2k15 would be the nXt year.
Sadly we only got 5 nXt wrestlers, one of which is retired (Graves) and two of which are off nXt and on Raw anyways (Rusev, Dallas).В So the DLC might help but oh yeah more guys that are already on Raw (Rose & Ascension).
Yet again dreams crushed disapointment everywhere.
Now lets rub it in!
That is right kids we got a new career mode where you train with Bill Demot and go from nXt to Hall of Fame!В But you gotta own the next gen console or you can settle for our lame watered down version.В No presentation, no historical videoes, not even a satisfying reward!В Yep, old console means not only are we taking from last year but you won’t get most of our new stuff.
This makes me not want 2k16 inspite of your anti-last gen hate crimes!
#4 Menues aren’t Rocket Science
For years this has bothered me. But why do you make the menu system so rough? В I mean the main menu isn’t bad but if you start getting in to character creation, wow. В It takes forever to find the moves you want, or taunts due to large lists with no search option, and no logic in sub categories.В I mean you want 18 Pilesdrivers, Awesome!В Let me pick the Piledriver as the move and then pick the version in a subcategory.
Also give something to help us indentify your generic movesets.В I mean we all know the presets are for characters like Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy or Goldberg. В So call one Enigma, Olympian, and Da Man!В Nope, you gotta give us 20 presets and we gotta check each finisher to identify?
Lastly the belts, come on.let us pick the WWE Belt and submenu option to change skin to WWE, WWE Undisputed, Cena Spinner etc. They don’t need a seperate alot making the worlds longest list of slight modified versions.
Seriously do you guys have meetings where you try to make things harder, or have piss off the fans conference calls?
#3 DLC Madness
I love DLCs when done right. Like GTA 5, buy our Season Pass and get everythin… And loads of neew cars, guns, missions etc!
But not 2k, no you owes us $24.99 for Paige and the Showcase storylines for… Wait for it… Mark Henry and Christian? В I like both guys but you take us from CM Punk vs Cena and Triple H vs HBK to highlighting not one but two guys who never held the WWE Championship?
Oh and the WCW, and nXt packs are extra?В Oh and the extra moves, oh and both Stings and both Hogans, and the Accelerator are all extra on top of that?
Ok now I am just furious, and for heaven sake why cant we just pick entrances when you select costume for the character?В I mean Alberto Del Rio never in the four years he had been in WWE… Ever changed his moves!В Why for heaven sake do we have two Del Rios?
Just let us pick the costume and entrance and if you really want, pick a move set but there is no reason to make us suffer so many clones!В We want more characters not multiple Del Rios! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO YOUR
#2: 5 Million New Animations… Not!!!
Ya they said 5 times the animations, I don’t see it.В Not saying I don’t like what they added in, but it feels well under the promise.
Sure the new moves feel great when not glitching, but hype is to be lived up to and this falls under par in my opinion.
And taking ou ability to make the moves you forgot, well that is just salt in the wound.
But hey if you want another Sister Abigail, well you can buy it with the other moves we will make you pay for as we under deliver on the multitide we promised.
#1 Sid Justice
Wait he is a DLC manager and not playable… I give up. Excuse me whilst I crawl up in a ball and cry.
Who makes these stupid decisions!
And the shirts… the shirts are the best and the most creative that they’ve ever been. Gone are simplistic comic sans font tees, and in their place are highly artistic parody and original tees, many that seem to bear no resemblance to a wrestling tee at all (making it much easier to wear in public). With the rise of Chicago based
Pro Wrestling Tees
, and smaller independent wrestling tee companies like
Top Rope Tuesday
,В the wrestling tee game could only grow to be bigger and better.В For the bigger names on the independent scene, the paydays are good, but a good t-shirt design can make your take home cashВ
much better.В
Just ask guys like The Young Bucks and Colt Cabana, gimmick table juggernauts.
