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
Gregory Iron
Blogs
Wrestler Blogs
CM Punk
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Shirts
The Young Bucks
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/7-returns-that-could-rock-the-roster/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/7-returns-that-could-rock-the-roster/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:18:30 +0000
Mark Adam Haggerty
Top Lists
Bobby Lashley
Brian Meyers
Chavo
CHIKARA
Chris Hero
Curt Hawkins
Doc Gallows
Edge
Fake Kane
Festus
John Morrison
Johnny Mundo
Johnny Nitro
Kane
Kassius Ohno
Luke Gallows
NJPW
NXT
ROH
Shelton Benjamin
The Undertaker
Trent Baretta
wrestling
WWE
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12946
How's it going everybody? Wait—no, that's Brian Alvarez's signature line. Geeze Louise, I need to figure this out fast. What's really good in the neighborhood wrestling fans? It's your buddy Mark Adam Haggerty, back in the swing of things on this beautiful summer day. It's one on a Monday here; I'm smoking weed and drinking […]
How's it going everybody? Wait—no, that's Brian Alvarez's signature line. Geeze Louise, I need to figure this out fast. What's really good in the neighborhood wrestling fans? It's your buddy Mark Adam Haggerty, back in the swing of things on this beautiful summer day. It's one on a Monday here; I'm smoking weed and drinking beer. As you've all gathered by now, I love lists! Maybe it's because I'm
sort of
obsessive compulsive, and find them to be calming in a completely calamitous world. I've recently compiled several different lists of varying length, and figured maybe I'd knock out another
VIDEO
countdown, in the hopes of mixing things up. I rummaged around my folder of unfinished projects and I was hit with an idea! This is a list of 7 former WWE Superstars who've made the most of their time away from the "Leader in Sports Entertainment." I feel that each of these individuals could—if positioned correctly—make an immediate impact upon return. I've included two videos with each name—the first is an example of how the WWE booked them, the second is a behind-the-scenes look at who these guys really are.
Luke Gallows
Most of his stuff with CM Punk was pretty cool, but Luke Gallows was very rarely ever given the chance to speak for himself while working for WWE. Once the Straight Edge Society disbanded, the WWE seemed at a loss for what to do with "The Artist Formerly Known as Festus." Just for fun, here's a video of Luke at his
worst
, opposite Glen Jacobs. It's Kane versus—
FAKE KANE!
Brian Meyers debuted for the WWE as one-half of the Major Brothers, alongside current WWE Superstar Zack Ryder. Their remarkable resemblance to Edge gave the WWE a reason to repackage both individuals, and Curt Hawkins was born. Check out the debut of the Major Brothers, against ECW's Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von.
This is one of my favorite videos on the list. An inside look at Brian riding from show-to-show in the first episode of his very own YouTube series, "Making Towns."
Shelton Benjamin could make the biggest impact if he ever returns to the WWE in a prominent role, but I felt compelled to list him at number five, and with good reason. Shelton came into the WWE out of Ohio Valley with John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton; he spent eight years with the company, and helped pioneer the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Shelton was a three-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and the 5
th
longest-
single
reigning United States Champion of all time. It's hard to say the WWE dropped the ball with Shelton, but he never seemed to grab the proverbial "Brass Ring." I mean the WWE has
never
had a black WWE World Heavyweight Champion [the "world title" does not count], so I'm not sure Shelton ever had any
real
control over his own destiny within the WWE. I ranked him 5
th
, because while Shelton Benjamin could be the
FACE
of World Wrestling Entertainment, there's a 70-year old man from North Carolina running the show. Here are a pair of Shelton Benjamin clips—his match against Shawn Michaels from Monday Night Raw, and an interview from 2014.
There was this
phenomenal
tag team in the WWE called the "Dude Busters." You heard me. Trent Baretta and Caylon Croft were a couple of douche bags with greasy hair. I guess this was the prototype for Seth Rollins. Trent is currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling with independent icon Rocky Romero, where they are IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Check out the Dude Busters debut during the "ECW New Superstar Initiative." And before anyone says anything, yes. That's Taryn Terrell as Tiffany.
Not much has changed with Trent; he's a little older and a little wiser, which shows inside the squared circle. I think he's definitely the sort of guy that could take advantage of this new "Samoa Joe" type deal, and potentially take NXT by storm. Here's Trent—featuring New Jack, I guess—talking about life after the WWE.
I was a fan of John Morrison AKA Johnny Mundo as early as the MNM Days with Melina and J&J Security's Joey Mercury. Morrison was the
ECW
Champion, and was a three-time intercontinental champion as well. But Morrison became something of an afterthought when the WWE went PG, and the "Shaman of Sexy" suddenly became outdated. Here's how Johnny Nitro
became
John Morrison.
"I'm going to keep those things until I'm 45 years old." –
Johnny is very specific about
when
he's going to lose his abs and oblique's.
Chris Hero
Number two is another guy that didn't quite click, and could perhaps make the best use of his time as a part-timer with NXT. Chris Hero had a
very
short run in the WWE as part of NXT in its current form. Despite longstanding success on the independent circuit and around the world, he was renamed Kassius Ohno. He was released from his contract in 2013, and has since said that "the door is always open for a return." Here's Kassius Ohno versus William Regal from April 2013.
Now for all of you Kevin Owens fans out there—here's a clip from an episode of "The Kevin Steen Show," with Chris Hero talking about "Razor Revolution."
People in the wrestling community have called him "The Black Brock Lesnar," and don't think for one second that thought is lost on Vince McMahon. Bobby Lashley debuted for the WWE before he even finished in developmental—or started for that matter. Vince McMahon saw him and immediately put him on television. Lashley's WWE run was similar to what we're seeing with Roman Reigns. Kids and casual fans cheered him because they were supposed to, but hardcore fans scoffed at his United States and ECW title wins. He worked an extensive program against Vince and Shane McMahon, and even had a main event moment at Wrestlemania when he shaved Vince's head with Donald Trump! Lashley left the WWE due to personal reasons that don't seem applicable any longer, so who's to say there isn't room for a return? Here's Bobby at the "Battle of the Billionaire" contract signing.
I think Bobby has come into his own as a professional wrestler and a performer since working with TNA and Bellator. Here's Bobby Lashley describing himself as a "wrestler that fights."
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
Scott Hayes
Top Lists
Brian Pillman
CM Punk
ECW
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Hall of Fame
HBK
Hollywood Blondes
Kurt Angle
MMA
New Japan Pro Wrestling
NJPW
Owen Hart
Ring of Honor
ROH
Shawn Michaels
Shelton Benjamin
Tajiri
The Ocho
UFC
WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Wrestling Entertainment
Wrestle Kingdom 9
WWE
WWF
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/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-ppv-reviews-march-2001-wrestlemania-17-vs-greed/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-ppv-reviews-march-2001-wrestlemania-17-vs-greed/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2015 17:51:15 +0000
Mark Adam Haggerty
Blogs
Other Blogs
Reviews
WWE Network Reviews
Animal
APA
Bam Bam Bigelow
Big Show
Bill Goldberg
Billy Kidman
Bobby Hennan
Booker T
Bradshaw
Bubba Ray
Buff Bagwell
Buff Daddy
Bull Buchanon
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Chris Benoit
Chris Jericho
Chris Kanyon
Christian
Chuck Palumbo
Chyna
DDP
Devon
Diamond Dallas Page
Duke The Dumpster Droese
Dustin Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Elix Skipper
Eric Bischoff
Ernest Miller
Farooq
Garrett Bischoff
Goldberg
Greed
Hardy Boyz
HHH
Hugh Morrus
Ivory
Jason Jett
JBL
Jeff Hardy
Jeff Jarrett
Jim Crockett
Kane
Kevin Nash
Kid Romeo
Kidman
Konnan
Kurt Angle
Kwee-Wee
Lance Storm
Lex Luger
Macho Man
Matt Hardy
Mean Gene
Michael Hayes
Mick Foley
Mickey Rourke
Mike Awesome
Natural Born Thrillers
Nature Boy
Nick Patrick
NWA
Paul Heyman
Raven
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Ric Flair
Rick Steiner
Right to Censor
Road Warrior
Road Warrior Animal
Ron Simmons
Scott Hudson
Scott Steiner
Sean O'Haire
Sgt. Slaughter
Shane Helms
Shane McMahon
Shawn Stasiak
Stacy Keibler
Starrcade
Stephanie McMahon
Steve Austin
Stevie Richards
Stone Cold
Tazz
Team Canada
Test
The Cat
The Dudley Boyz
The Iron Sheik
The Magnificent Seven
The Rock
The Undertaker
The Wrestler
TLC
Tony Schiavone
Totally Buff
Triple H
Vince McMahon
WCW
William Regal
World Championship Wrestling
Wrestlemania
Wrestlemania 17
WWE
WWF
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9121
Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews March 2001 – Wrestlemania vs. Greed Featuring Mark Adam Haggerty & Gary Mastriano Welcome to the official premier of Doubleshot, the twice-monthly once-over of some of the best, the worst, and the wildest events in sports entertainment. I'm Mark Adam Haggerty joined as always by Gary Mastriano as we get set […]
Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews
March 2001 – Wrestlemania vs. Greed
Featuring Mark Adam Haggerty & Gary Mastriano
Welcome to the official premier of
Doubleshot
, the twice-monthly once-over of some of the best, the worst, and the wildest events in sports entertainment. I'm Mark Adam Haggerty joined as always by Gary Mastriano as we get set to discuss the dueling pay-per-view events that made March 2001, perhaps one of the most explosive months in professional wrestling history. I'll kick things off talking about WCW Greed, followed by Gary's thorough examination of Wrestlemania 17. Could WCW's final attempt at drawing a big-money audience even compete with what's been called "the greatest Wrestlemania of all time?" We'll find out in this week's edition of
Doubleshot
!
"If it's professional wrestling, it's gotta' be GREED!"
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Growing up in New Jersey and living just a quick train ride from Madison Square Garden, I was definitely more inundated with the WWE product than I ever was with WCW. Therefore when the Turner extension of Crockett Promotions collapsed, I felt little sympathy and instead rejoiced for the home team. Fast forward fourteen years to where I'm twice as old at 28, and presumably twice-the-wiser. In 2015 I'm far more concerned with what goes on between the ropes than I am with what happens on the mic, and thanks to the WWE Network I've been able to discover a litany of new moments to treasure from the early days of WCW up until its final hour. Today I'm taking a look at the very last pay per view from WCW, the aptly named Greed. World Championship Wrestling had started straying from its usual set of monthly event titles, and along with January’s Sin, Greed was to be the dawning of a new day in WCW. In fact the plans to reboot the company were much larger than one pay-per-view and didn't even include a March event. But the decision makers demanded a final show and thus Greed was born, perhaps serving as the final nail in the proverbial coffin for WWE's longtime rival.
Once the show hit the air live from the Jacksonville Coliseum, Tony Schiavone proceeded to introduce audiences to the newest tradition in World Championship Wrestling, “Welcome to the first ever Greed!” Alongside Scott Hudson, the perpetual voice of WCW Schiavone wished everyone a belated Saint Patrick’s Day on this March 18th and the show was off and running.
Opening Contest
Kwee Wee vs. Jason Jett
So if you aren’t aware of who Kwee-Wee is, that’s perfectly fine. A Cruiserweight during the dying days of WCW, Kwee-Wee wore loose fitting pink pants and styled his hair in sort of a vertical blowout. His opponent is Jason Jett, an equally unknown yet radically less ridiculous competitor. The match is in Kwee-Wee’s favor for much of the onset until Jett earns the upper hand and delivers an onslaught of impact moves along with an inventive submission described by Hudson as a “pendulum surfboard.” The two battle what becomes a series of reversals that culminate atop the turnbuckle for a suplex reversed into a powerbomb reversed into a hazardous release-hurricanrana that drops both men square in the center of the ring. Various pin attempts on both sides until Kwee-Wee finds himself on the floor; Jason Jett makes a play to the audience, letting them know that he’s going to “play possum.” As Kwee-Wee makes it back into the ring, he goes for an ill-fated high risk maneuver that’s well-scouted by the well aware Jason Jett. Jett lifts Kwee-Wee for the “Crash Landing,” his throwaway suplex finishing move. 1-2-3 and Jason Jett picks up the victory.
Winner: Jason Jett – 12:17
Rating: 2 ВЅ Stars
Cruiserweight Tag Team Finals
Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. & Billy Kidman
It’s the final match in the tournament to crown the first ever WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions. Only eight days before the company closes, might as well outfit some new guys with some new leather straps. Out first is “Primetime” Elix Skipper who’s teaming with the sensational Kid Romeo against Rey Mysterio sans the mask alongside a much trimmer-than-recent Billy Kidman. Phenomenal contest featuring four high-caliber talents, and yes I’m including the lesser-known Kid Romeo in that lineup. The first thing I noticed was the uncanny teamwork on display from two teams that are comprised of singles competitors. I wish the cruiserweight tag division had the chance to get up and running because some of the double team offense in this match was faster and more fluid than the stale heavyweight tag title scene during the same event. The action in the ring soon spilled onto the floor and down toward the entrance way, where the team of Skipper and Romeo were met with twin cross body attacks courtesy of Mysterio and Kidman. The match returns to the ring where the heels take control before the match turns into utter tornado pandemonium once again and is soon punctuated by a springboard shooting star press by Kidman to his opponents on the outside. Amidst the madness, Rey and Romeo are left alone in the ring. The usual array of rope tricks and high flying tactics win Rey the advantage for a moment, but the future WWE World Champion is soon caught midway through an Asai moonsault and driven head first into the mat by Kid Romeo. He goes for the pin, and we have our inaugural WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions.
Winner: Skipper & Romeo – 13:46
Rating: 3 Stars
Shawn Stasiak vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
We’re first privy to the beautiful Stacy Keibler, who’s appearing under her real name rather than her former alias “Miss Hancock.” She introduces the individual whom she declares “The Mecca of Manhood"—Shawn Stasiak. Stasiak enters the arena and proceeds to insult his opponent Bam Bam Bigelow, as well as the fans in Jacksonville. Stacy and Shawn throw numerous 8″x10” photographs of Stasiak into the crowd, and are soon interrupted by the legendary "Beast from the East." Stasiak works this match just the way any squirrelly heel should, always escaping to the outside so as to avoid confronting the tattooed head butt of Bigelow. Bam Bam dominates the match, minus a few lucky shots from Stasiak. Almost as soon as Stasiak begins to mount a formidable offense, Bam Bam returns fire with more shots to weaken the man formerly known as "Meat." Bigelow hits the flying head butt and signals for the "Greetings from Asbury Park." Just as Bam Bam is ready to finish Stasiak, Stacy Keibler climbs to the apron in an attempt at distracting the Beast. Sean Stasiak seizes the opportunity and a can of hairspray from the diabolically clever Keibler, temporarily blinding Bam Bam Bigelow and winning the match with a hangman's noose neck breaker. A terrible match with enough star power to keep me from hitting fast forward.
Winner: Shawn Stasiak – 5:55
Rating: 1 Вј Stars
Backstage, the newly crowned cruiserweight champions are still celebrating their historic win over Rey Mysterio and Kidman and are just now getting around to strapping the belts around their waists. But whereas 99.9% of professional wrestlers have no trouble in accomplishing this rather mundane task alone, Kid Romeo and Elix Skipper insist upon helping one another. In fact they insist on doing a whole lot of touching. This makes me wonder what kind of program was to develop between these exceptionally talented cruiserweights, considering Romeo's South Beach gimmick and their apparent common penchant to embrace.
Team Canada (Lance Storm & Mike Awesome) vs. Konnan & Hugh Morrus
WCW's Team Canada is comprised of several villainous wrestlers, some of which were even born right here in America. Tampa's own Mike Awesome is one such individual whose imposing ring presence is the perfect addition to Lance Storm's technical workrate. Storm takes the microphone and utters his timeless catchphrase, "If I can be serious for a minute." Storm and Awesome are getting set to deal with a personal problem, but the next thing on Team Canada's agenda are the tag team title belts, according to Lance Storm. They ask that the Canadian national anthem be played and demand the audience stand to show their respect. Rather than "O' Canada," the fans in Jacksonville instead hear the hideous laughter of a perennial mid-carder, signaling the arrival of both Hugh Morrus and Konnan. As the music began to play in lieu of Storm's request, Scott Hudson said the whitest thing in history: "This must be some Puff Daddy remix." While Hudson was being hip, Schiavone was overselling the significance of Bill Demott, referring to him as, "The legendary Hugh Morrus." The match begins with utter chaos but pandemonium soon gives way to a match with Team Canada on the offensive. These were perhaps four of the best workers on the entire roster at this time, every movement was well choreographed without losing any semblance of spontaneity. But much the same as many matches on the card, the contest never hit that climactic point of urgency that makes for dramatic professional wrestling. The end came when Morrus's high risk offense put him in the trajectory of Mike Awesome's most dreaded weapon—the Awesome Bomb. Morrus was drilled into the canvas and Team Canada won the contest.
Winner: Team Canada – 11:28
Rating: 2 Stars
Backstage once again and we see the Rhodes boys, Dusty and Dustin getting set for their tag team encounter with Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett. Dustin insists on getting ready for the match and strategizing, but the only strategizing Dusty plans on doing involves 240 burritos—his secret weapon in the upcoming, "Kiss My Ass Match." Elsewhere members of the Magnificent Seven are working on Buff Bagwell's "Ric Flair documentary," interviewing Rick Steiner about his match with Booker T later in the night. I would have liked to see the footage Buff compiled while shooting that documentary as it was of course scrapped days later when Vince McMahon took over the promotion.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c) vs. Shane Helms
It should come as no surprise that Chavo Guerrero and Shane Helms put on what was undoubtedly the match of the night for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The cruiserweight division is one of the defining elements that made World Championship Wrestling recognizable, whose legacy can be traced back to the days of Flyin' Brian Pillman and his light heavyweight battles with Jushin Thunder Liger. So it was only fitting that this last WCW pay-per-view feature two of the most talented in-ring performers at the time, competing for perhaps the most prestigious junior heavyweight belt in American wrestling. Shane recently split from his Three Count "bandmates," Shannon Moore and Evan Karagias and had debuted a solo hip-hop themed gimmick dubbed the "Vertebreaker." Vertebreaker was also the name of Helms' crippling finishing hold, a modified back to back double underhook piledriver that he hoped would earn him a victory over the tenacious Chavo Guerrero Jr. The match spills onto the outside, prompting Chavo to execute a beautiful cross-body frog splash onto the floor, showcasing the veteran grace of the young Guerrero at just 30 years old. The tactful rookie from North Carolina was not to be outdone, coaxing the cruiserweight champion into a lengthy bout of chain wrestling ending with Helms on the offensive. Pragmatic execution gave way to innovative submissions by Chavo Guerrero, placing Shane Helms in a precarious spot far away from becoming the new champion. In a moment where confidence gave way to hubris, "Sugar" Shane was able to get the upper hand on Chavo, leading to a death-defying Vertebreaker and a final decision in favor of Helms. Shane Helms would go on to be the final WCW Cruiserweight Champion ever, bringing the title with him to WWE TV in the coming weeks.
Winner: Shane Helms – 13:57
Rating: 4 Stars
The Ric Flair documentary continues backstage with "Double J" and the "Nature Boy" preparing for their no holds barred battle with the Rhodes family in just under an hours' time. Buff should perhaps put the camerawork on hold for a moment as his title match with the WCW Tag Team Champions is up next. Meanwhile the challenger for the US World Heavyweight title is on hand to deliver the most stereotypically 90s rap promo in the history of 2001 professional wrestling. This must be where Scott Hudson is learning how to be cool, because Booker T not only says, "Save the drama for your mama," but also delivers a nice, "Don't hate the player, hate the game." Now, before anyone starts firing away with, "Those were his catch phrases!" No they were not. While Google can't tell me where the �Player' line originated, I can tell you that there was an episode of the Jamie Foxx Show in 1997 called, "Save the Drama for Your Mama." That was 1997; back when nobody let Booker T on the mic for fear that he'd call Hulk Hogan the "n-word" again. Moving on.
WCW Tag Team Championship
Sean O’Haire & Chuck Palumbo (c) vs. Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell
Could this even be called a match? Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell make their way to the ring at their own leisure, in no way prepared for any sort of athletic interaction. Once inside the ring both Lex and Buff cut unbelievably hilarious promos where Lex insists, "Buff
is
the Stuff." This event took place mere days before the fall of WCW, so I have to assume a main event level talent such as Lex Luger was aware of the impending fate of the company. So what better way to say goodbye to the only promotion willing to outfit you with their world title belt, than to cop out of your final moment in the spotlight—bravo Lex Luger. As funny as "The Total Package" was, I would have much preferred to see Lex show up in peak condition one last time, without a "bro-stitute" like Bagwell reaping the rewards of someone else's career. The members of the Magnificent Seven are soon interrupted by the Tag Team Champions, a team that was soon demolished once they debuted in the WWE—the duo of Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo. At the time I was a WWE fan who watched Nitro on a delay and read what I could at the newsstand, so I'll always remember "The Natural Born Thrillers" as the powerful yet agile tag team who took over the pages in the final issues of WCW Magazine. The tag team champions O'Haire and Palumbo make short work of the Monday Night War veterans Luger and Bagwell, performing a double Swanton attack into a double cover. The �Thrillers retain the titles and subsequently invade the WWE as champions.
Winner: O’Haire & Palumbo – :54
Rating: 1 Star
Chris Kanyon vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller
Believe it or not both of these dynamic individuals went on to enjoy brief stints as WWE Superstars, but not without first becoming WCW household names. The late Chris Kanyon had become involved in some sort of love-triangle involving Ernest "The Cat" Miller and his valet Miss Jones. Or at least that's the way it would appear, as Kanyon's infatuation with Jones seemed to be his only Achilles heel in this alteration with the "world karate champion." As an outsider watching this match out of context, I had trouble understanding who was playing what role—heel or babyface? Kanyon broke the cardinal rule of "Bros before Hoes," when he turned on his friend M.I. Smooth, otherwise known as Ice Train. Still in attendance, however not alongside Kanyon, Smooth would instead stand in support of Ernest Miller. The brawling would soon segue into blatant chicanery when Ms. Jones hit the apron, directly interfering in the match and thus getting an accidental boot on behalf of the Cat in the process. With the distraction in place, Kanyon would now have time to hit the "Flatliner" face plant on Miller. However it was M.I. Smooth who would turn the tables once more, coming to the Cat's aid and helping the former uh—nothing champion, Ernest Miller never won anything—get the victory! Serious side note though, he was Eric Bischoff's son Garrett's karate instructor and Bischoff was like, "Hey I'm sort of in the business of hiring my friends for more money than their worth, is that something you'd be interested in?" He did appear in the 2008 Oscar-nominated film "The Wrestler" alongside Mickey Rourke, so that's something to be proud of.
Winner: Ernest “The Cat” Miller – 10:31
Rating: 1 Вѕ Stars
Once again in the dressing room the dastardly duo of Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger seemingly implode following their disastrous loss to The Natural Born Thrillers. Speaking of imploding, a certain "American Dream" is set to
explode
in just a short while as Dusty Rhodes is hard at work devouring 240 burritos.
US World Heavyweight Championship
Rick Steiner (c) vs. Booker T
I feel like if I'm going to make fun of Booker T for his outdated catchphrases, I'd be out-of-line had I failed to mention Rick Steiner's, "You want some, come get some; if you don't like me, bite me!" Geeze Louise, those two lines are the cat's pajamas—absolutely absurd. I admire the way in which WCW remained faithful to the United States championship over the years, always presenting it as a near-main event level title without allowing it to fall into the wrong hands. Rick Steiner is dedicated to defending his championship regardless of what obstacle may lay before him. The intensity of Steiner comes face to face with the bravado of the former WCW World Champion, "You think you can take my belt," Rick asked? "You ain't takin' shit!" And the match is underway. The initial interplay involves the two veterans colliding in a series of no holds barred shots around the ringside area, until finally the action is contained within the squared-circle. Rick Steiner might go forever overlooked as the "other Steiner," but only a week removed from his 40th birthday in 2001, the United States champion still looked as good as he did in 1983. Steiner continued his reign of domination on the former Harlem Heat member with a catastrophic double under hook powerbomb, rattling Booker and leading to a near-three count. Managing to thwart each of Booker's advances, Steiner remained in control by implementing an arsenal of ground-based choke-holds, until the tragically titled "ghetto blaster" bought Book' enough time to catch up to the Dog Faced Gremlin. In a moment of spontaneous action, Booker's educated kick missed Steiner and instead found the face of referee Mickie Jay. Steiner would then capitalize on Booker's concern for the referee, delivering a textbook German suplex, but the referee was in too much pain to make the count. As victory was within sight for the current title holder, Steiner's rival Shane Douglas made a surprise appearance from the audience and attacked Rick with his right arm, sealed inside a rock-solid plaster cast. Steiner fell into the clutches of Booker T and his Rock Bottom knock-off, "The Bookend." By this point, Mickie Jay was back in action and able to count the pin fall for the final WCW US World Heavyweight Champion in history—Booker T!
Winner: Booker T – 7:31
Rating: 2 Вѕ Stars
The Magnificent Seven has been the most visible entity in backstage shenanigans this evening and once again the cameras head toward the dressing room where Road Warrior Animal is screaming for help, and screaming at the floor where his fellow stablemate Buff Bagwell is laid out unconscious. Lex Luger appears on the scene to ascertain that Animal is responsible for whatever happened. Animal argues that he wants to find "this guy" as bad as anybody, which makes me wonder where that angle was going? Let's examine the members of the Magnificent Seven for a Moment: Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, Rick and Scott Steiner, Lex Luger, Buff Bagwell, and Road Warrior Animal. By this point Hulk Hogan was gone, Macho Man was gone, Nash had taken his ball back to Detroit. There was only one man left on the WCW roster with enough star power to take down each member of the Magnificent Seven, a man who had been feuding with Lex and Bagwell just two months earlier—Bill Goldberg. The formerly undefeated world heavyweight champion was out for surgery following a questionable loss to "Totally Buffed" at Sin earlier that year. Of course Creative scrapped the surprise attack storyline due to the demise of WCW, but I'm willing to bet it was Goldberg that attacked Buff Daddy at Greed, and Road Warrior Animal just one week before.
“Kiss My Ass” Match
Dusty & Dustin Rhodes vs. Ric Flair & Jeff Jarrett
Dusty Rhodes is an exemplary figure in the wrestling industry having sold-out arenas from Texas to New York City. The "son of a plumber" was an especially vital cog in the intricate machine of World Championship Wrestling from its infancy with Jim Crockett to its last night in Panama City Beach, Florida. He headlined Starrcade and invented The Great American Bash—and Dusty Rhodes goes out in a "Kiss My Ass" match where he prepared by eating 240 burritos. Never mind forcing the man to wearing polka dots, he made it work! This was far more humiliating than anything Vince McMahon ever did, and he did it to himself. What can be said about this match? It featured two of the biggest stars in NWA/WCW history, alongside two of the most revered talents of the 1990s in Dustin Rhodes and Jeff Jarrett. But when it came down to it, this was a match about people farting on one another, and isn't that what
really
killed WCW? Ric Flair flat out refused to compete in the match, and then joined Jeff Jarrett halfway through only to finish the fight in less than ten minutes when Dusty Rhodes proceeded to humiliate the highly decorated "Nature Boy." This must have really sucked for Jeff Jarrett who left one company after losing his championship in a "Good Housekeeping Match" to a woman, only to finish his tenure with another by kissing Dusty Rhodes' ass.
Winner: Dusty & Dustin Rhodes – 9:58
Rating: 2 Stars
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Scott Steiner (c) vs. Diamond Dallas Page
The inclusion of internationally renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer has always given WCW's main events a sense of importance. Even in matches such as this, Buffer commands respect for the bout by captivating crowds with a trademark tambour in every word he says. The competitors in contention for the world heavyweight title this evening are both fine wrestlers capable of working within their means but neither DDP nor Scott Steiner were ever quite capable of exceeding expectations. Like almost every other match that came before it, the main event makes use of the ringside surroundings, but these two combatants take it further—into the audience. It's at this point that Tony Shiavone decides to remind the crowd that this is a falls count anywhere match. Steiner pulls a crutch from the crowd that according to Scott Hudson was stolen from a young child in a DDP shirt. The action soon makes its way back to the ringside area where this hardcore collision decelerates to a slow-paced battle of rest holds. Hudson continues to sell this spectacle as the WCW's "last chance against the tyrannical reign of Ric Flair and the monstrous Scott Steiner." Leading into their battle, Steiner has been responsible for defeating everyone from Goldberg to Kevin Nash, with Diamond Dallas Page next on his list of former champions to retire. Steiner raised Page for the running power slam but was reversed, shoved into the turnbuckle and caught by the "Diamond Cutter" on the rebound. Page covered Scott for the win, but referee Nick Patrick was interrupted mid-count when former US Champion and brother to the world title holder Rick Steiner emerged to save Scott's title. Steiner pulled Patrick from the ring, but was soon met by Diamond Dallas Page who leapt over the top rope and onto the �Gremlin below. So much for DDP not exceeding expectations, huh? Back inside the squared-circle, DDP's on the offense and looking for his fourth WCW title, until the raucous pandemonium catches Patrick off guard, giving Steiner the opportunity to hit Page with the belt. DDP's face erupted from the artery, blood flowing from his head into his hair as Steiner made the cover just in time for Nick Patrick to regain his senses. Your winner and still the WCW World Heavyweight Champion—"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner.
Winner: Scott Steiner – 14:14
Rating: 2 Вѕ Stars
Final Thoughts
When the dust had settled and Greed was at an end, so too was the historic lineage of NWA and WCW. For a final show I would have hoped for more, but that's what the final Nitro in Panama City aimed to be, a "Night of Champions," so it was dubbed which saw Booker T capture the WCW World title from the villainous Scott Steiner. The business-as-usual booking had been abandoned on that final night in Florida, so as absurd as Greed was, it wasn't the last hurrah and therefore has to be judged just as any other pay-per-view event. Like many WCW shows from the late �90s and early 2000s, the highlights came from the midcard matches most notably the cruiserweight title bouts, both the singles match between Chavo and Helms, as well as the finals of the cruiserweight tag tournament. It was matches such as these that went on to help inspire TNA and its X Division the following year, and I think any fan of modern day wrestling might enjoy seeing some of the early �Impact Players' like Elix Skipper in his �rookie year.' Overall not a fantastic show minus the aforementioned bright spots; with ten matches, the average score was around two and a half stars.
"Where it All Begins, and Ends, Again… for real…"
Written by Gary Mastriano
Writing a review of Wrestlemania 17 is an extremely daunting task. I am not going to lie- I have been putting off this review for a few weeks. How can one rate and review what is unanimously viewed at the greatest Wrestlemania of all time, and arguably the single best wrestling card in history. To have this be the first review in our Doubleshot look back at WCW vs WWF PPVs is even more daunting. To start at the end of an era is extremely awkward. And believe me, this is the end of an era. Wrestlemania 17 has an heir of celebration more than any other event put on by Vince and Co. And why not? He won. He took out his biggest competition after a heated rivalry that produced the most financially successful era in pro wrestling history.
The celebration starts right from the insanely good opening video package, a theme you will see throughout the night. As the video package subtly tells us- this is it folks. People around the world are watching Wrestlemania tonight. All eyes are on the WWF. Even homeless couples will be watching this event from the back of their broken down car in a junkyard… somehow. Wrestlemani 17 would go on to be the 5th most purchased PPV of all time. It had almost 100,000 more buys than the �Mania's immediately before and after it. Clearly this was the apex of Pro Wrestling's salad days.
I would be short sighted if I failed to mention what took place just a few short days before Wrestlemania 17- the Purchase of WCW by Vince McMahon. While I won't go into the historical immplications of that event, I will mention that it is something that hangs very awkwardly over the entirety of Wrestlemania 17. It always seems to steal the attention from the card itself. I have always wondered if Vince should have saved that announcement for the night AFTER Wrestlemania 17. If creative was so set on turning Stone Cold heel (more about that decision later), than what better celebration would Vince have on Raw the next night having finally tamed his two biggest enemies- Stone Cold Steve Austin and WCW? Well anyway- on with the show:
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal
I have already documented my huge man crush on Chris Jericho in other columns. It was a great move to have him start the show. Jericho was red hot as a face, and about to enter the finest year of his first run in WWE. Before the year was up Jericho will have won the WCW title, and go onto defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night. I have always believed whoever's music you hear first at a Mania will go onto to do big things (ie Cena at Mania 20). The opening contest is almost as important as the main event. This match between Jericho and Regal, while a little too short to be considered a classic, is a terrific match that often gets lost on a stacked card. It is worth a rewatch for sure. Jericho picks up the victory, via Lionsault, which was surprising to me because I never considered that as finishing move.
Winner: Chris Jericho – 7:08
Rating: 3 Stars
Tazz & the APA vs. Right to Censor
Tazz and the APA defeat Right to Censor in 3:52
Tons of talent litter this match. Seriously every wrestler in this match could go, including the underrated Bull Buchanon. What should have been a hard hitting smash mouth match turns out to be… a hard hitting smash mouth match. Very odd booking for Tazz and he plays the face in peril the majority of the match until getting the hot tag to the APA for the win. Did WWF just not know what to do with Tazz? He gets the first huge pop of the night. The WHAT IF scenario's with Tazz are endless in WWE. While this may have been a throwaway match at Mania 17, it is a match that shows how deep the roster was at the time. Right to Censor would be a huge faction if they debuted in 2014, while here they are just relegated to fodder for the incredibly over APA.
Winner: Tazz & the APA – 7:08
Rating: 2 ВЅ Stars
WWF Hardcore Triple Threat Match
Kane vs. Raven (c) vs. Big Show
Man this was a weird match. What was Raven doing here? When did Raven arrive in the WWF? Did he ever wrestle another match other than this one? Sorry if I don't remember, but some parts of this era of WWF are hazy to me. My initial interest was waning at the time, and I honestly stopped watching altogether for a while after Mania 17. Some cool moments highlight this match- the glass window spot was cool. Kane legit ran over Raven's leg. And give it to Paul Heyman on commentary (more on him later I promise) with the funniest line of the night- "Peach Snapple, that's my favorite kind!" This match was basically Raven getting his ass kicked for 10 minutes and Kane and Big Show trading off who was dealing the punishment. A very unique match up that spent too much time in the backstage area and not enough time in the ring.
Winner: Kane – 9:17
Rating: 2 Stars
We get a few backstage segments including Kurt Angle hamming it up with Edge and Christian. These guys were just gold together. Jimmy Snuka's at WWF New York. No one cared about Jimmy Snuka in 2001, 2015, or 1985. Sorry. And finally a shot of the Rock "arriving" to the arena. I recall WWE doing a ton of these "arriving" moments- in fact they do one later with Austin, and did one at the start of the show with Shane. I have never been a fan. Do you want me to believe that they started the show without the WWF Champion even being present? And that there are no penalties for being late to work in WWF? Wouldn't the Rock want to be on time for the biggest match of his career?
WWF European Championship
Test (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero
Test never really seemed like he fit in with the WWF/WWE. Of course everyone knows that he was a bodyguard for Motley Crue before being recruited to join the WWF, but I am no sure he belonged. He wasn't offensive in the ring and was a part of some pretty high profile programs. I am not sure if I imagined this or not- but did Test REALLY date Stephanie McMahon? Like in real life? I don't know why I thought I heard that somewhere. Eddie does what Eddie usually does in this match- puts on solid match with whoever he is in there with. Saturn does what Saturn does best- creeps around awkwardly on the outside of the ring. Half a star because I miss the European title.
Winner: Eddie Guerrero – 8:30
Rating: 2 ВЅ Stars
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
Kurt Angle. Chris Benoit. Two of the greatest in ring performers of all time. I wonder if we will ever see two wrestlers with as much intensity as these two in the same company at the same time. I have always preferred Angle out of the two. Not only do I think he's the better wrestler (and slightly better human being… only slightly though) he also had SO much more personality than Benoit. This match was built all around their respective submission holds. Paul Heyman kicked us off with a terrific line about this match- "I am as excited for this match as a man can be with his clothes on." With these guys together in a ring, you know what you are going to get. Pure athleticism from two masters of sports entertainment. The match starts off exactly how you would expect it to, with mat wrestling and early submission teases. Benoit starts to get the upper hand in these exchanges, so Angle turns this into an Attitude era brawl with some stiff right hands, a table spot, and an Irish whip into the steps. Angle gains the upper hand and then this match turns into a suplex fest, from the two masters of the move. Angle and Benoit trade each other's finishers in a preview of tonight's main event. Heyman sums it up- "I have never in my life seen a better display of hold and counter hold in my life." A ref bump proves to be important as Angle taps while in the crossface. Once the ref is back up (rather quickly) the action picks up even more. Benoit blocks Angle's moonsault (I feel there should be an entire column dedicated to the beauty that is a Kurt Angle moonsault). Benoit connects with the headbutt, but Angle rolls him up with a handful of tights to score a win with a great piece of storyline. Neither man looked weak, and Angle's heel character got more dastardly. JR sells the match by saying "this is not the end of this rivalry." And he was right. This wasn't the last match these two would have, nor was it the best. That distinction goes to their Royal Rumble match a few years later. As it is, this match is a great 4 star match between two ring generals that could have benefited from a few more minutes as well.
Winner: Kurt Angle – 14:04
Rating: 4 Stars
WWF Women's Championship
Chyna vs. Ivory (c)
Again I cannot talk about how cool Right to Censor was. Ivory was the perfect female member of the group and worked so well as a heel. I really enjoyed her mannerisms during her entrance. She really sold the "better than you" female heel. Chyna comes out shooting a bazooka…? Great psychology in this match, with Ivory focusing on Chyna's "injured" neck early on until Chyna takes complete control and squashes Ivory for the remainder of the match. Chyna even picks Ivory up after a huge power bomb only to embarrass her more by casually pinning her. I get the appeal of Chyna as the 9th Wonder of the World, and she deserves her kudos for the surprisingly solid in ring work she did with Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero, but Ivory deserved better than this.
Winner: Chyna – 2:39
Rating: 1 Star
Street Fight w/ Mick Foley as Referee
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon
Another terrific video package sums up the feud… Seeing Shane show up on Nitro was so surreal and completely AWESOME that it added another layer to what was already a heated feud. Shane comes out first to the familiar sounds of No Chance in Hell sporting a Mania 17 jersey with "Vince we Have a Problem" on the back. Remember when Shane used to have customized shirts like that? That was really really cool. Shane shouts out to his new WCW employees. The crowd has NO IDEA how to react to the WCW guys. Shane is the face in this feud, as the son standing up to his father, but are we supposed to like the WCW employees? Aren't they the enemy? Again some confusing booking with the WCW angle. Clearly the WWF wasn't sure how to handle the purchase yet, and thinks are awkward accordingly.
As for the match, it is exactly what you would expect if you have ever seen a Shane or Vince match. Shane brings the high spots, Vince gets his ass kicked. And everyone here plays their part to the T. Trish as the scorned mistress finally turning on Vince was a great moment. Stephanie plays it up as the Billion Dollar Princess Daddy's girl character that she had perfected by then. And what can be said about Linda? For someone with no acting/wrestling experience or training, she does a great job being completely catatonic. I don't think anyone gives her enough props for being able to sit still without blinking or moving. And my God that pop she gets when she sits up in the corner. Seriously if you want to hear a GIGANTIC POP, watch that moment on YouTube. Or better yet- watch this match. It is so silly and over booked and fun.
Winner: Shane McMahon – 14:12
Rating: 3 Stars
TLC 2 for the WWF Tag Team Championship
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian
This match is kind of the elephant in the room when discussing Wrestlemania 17. IGN lists this match #5 on their all- time Wrestlemania matches, and WWE.com ranked it in their top 20 matches ever. I don't think I am going to go that far, as super insane spot fests aren't always for me. Don't get me wrong- I'm not going to hate on this match. Sure it is pretty much 15 minutes of spots with no psychology in between, but it sure is fun as hell. I have always preferred my gimmick matches with a little bit more eb and flow and purpose (see Shawn Razor ladder match, Shawn Taker Cell match, Shawn Jericho ladder match, Shawn Michaels in any gimmick match ever). However one cannot deny how impressive this match is. Who can forget the great moments like Jeff's suicide dive off of the gigantic ladder? How about Edge's spear off the ladder to Jeff Hardy? Or the multiple run ins from Spike Dudley, Rhino, and ultimately Lita that led to some great moments. The exciting conclusion comes when Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray fall through 19 tables stacked high on the outside of the ring in a completely insane spot. Everyone in this match put their bodies on the line to put on a classic that pretty much defined each of their careers afterwards. Other than Edge, I don't think anyone involved in this match has ever stepped out of the shadow of this match. Pure insanity in a gimmick match that hasn't been topped since, despite multiple attempts, that spawned its own PPV.
Winner: Edge & Christian – 15:47
Rating: 4 Stars
The Gimmick Battle Royal
Duke the Dumpster Droese is honestly one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. The New Generation has always been my favorite era of wrestling and the goofy gimmick that came along with it were awesome. This match, while unnecessary, was super fun and goofy. Great to see a lot of fun gimmicks. More of WWF celebrating their past. Having Mene Gene and Bobby Hennan call the match was an absolute treat. I've said it before, but it needs repeating- Bobby Hennan is the SINGLE GREATEST COLOR COMMENTARTOR OF ALL TIME. Fans of today's product will never be able to appreciate how incredible Hennan was. Imagine if Paul Heyman had a bit more comedy in his promo style- that's Hennan. Hennan's cracks on Sgt Slaughter are worth the price of the PPV (or $9.99 for the Network) alone. The Gimmick Battle Royal sums up a lot of what was great about Wrestlemania 17. For all the seriousness of matches like Austin vs Rock and the McMahon family drama, the WWF could still have fun. Was this the only match that Michael Hayes ever wrestled at Wrestlemania? I could be wrong about that, but that would be an interesting fact. And I tell you what—Droese looks like he could still go.
Winner: The Iron Sheik – 3:07
Rating: 2 Stars
The Undertaker vs. Triple H
This was one of my favorite matches for a long time. Time hasn't been fair to this match, especially after these two men topped it 10 and 11 years later, but for a long time this stood as one of my top 5 matches of all time. This was, by far, the best match of Undertaker's career up to this point. Undertaker never had a great in ring performance before the switch to the Biker Taker gimmick. This was also the first time I can remember Taker's undefeated streak being mentioned as well. Triple H was on the tail end of the single best heel run in company history from 1999-early 2001.
It's interesting to note that this feud was very similar to the one they would have 10 years later at Wrestlemania 27- Triple H claimed he had beaten everyone there is to beat, except the Undertaker. Motorhead plays a live version of the best theme song in wrestling and out comes Helmsley. Limp Bizkit ushers in the American Badass, and shit is about to go down. Houston's own Undertaker takes it to Triple H early on the outside. All bets are off in this one, as the action spends little time in the ring. The first great spot happens when Taker lifts HHH up for a monstrous back body drop. A ref bump leads the action to the outside again and into crowd. A lot of brawls during the attitude era spilled into the crowd, but I cannot think of one as memorable as this. The sigh of Triple H and the Undertaker battling on a lighting structure amongst 65,000 is as iconic as they com 28:07 e. Taker chokeslamming Trips right into the crowd is hokey when you see the pads the Hunter lands on, but at first viewing, it is an amazing moment. The action eventually finds its way back to the ring, where the equalizing sledgehammer is brought into play. Triple H goes for a tombstone pile driver, but it is reversed by Undertaker, but unfortunately the referee is still down. A sledgehammer shot by Triple H during a last ride leads to an incredibly close 2 count. Trips fights a bloodied Dead Man into the corner, which leads into a Last Ride for the finish.
Upon viewing this match again for the first time in a while, I can say that it still holds up. It is nowhere near as good as their second and third Wrestlemania chapters, but it is a great semi-main event to this card. Triple H showed once again his versatility by being able to go into an all-out brawl with the Undertaker. Both men seemed incredibly motivated to steal the show. This match, like this overall card, never slows down to breathe. It is incredible that these two would go on to get even better and produce two better matches than this 10 years later.
Winner: The Undertaker – 18:57
Rating: 4 ВЅ Stars
No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock (c)
A few months ago Steve Austin did a running commentary of this match on his podcast. If you haven't listened to it yet I strongly recommend it. The amount of insight he provides is amazing. Austin says going into this match that he was more confident than he had ever been. He describes how he and Rock constructed the match. How they called it on the fly. And his only regret of his career being the ending of the match. I highly recommend giving it a listen.
Much has been made of the pre match video package featuring Limp Bizkit's My Way. Many have called it the greatest video package of all time. It would be hard to argue that. WWE consistently produces terrific video packages, and this one is near the top of the list.
As soon as Austin's music hits, the crowd becomes unglued. Another gigantic pop from the 65,000 Houston fans. JR delivers one of my all-time favorite lines calling Austin a "folk hero". Rock hits the ring second, as a champion always should. JR makes me feel bad about myself by reminding me that Rock is only 28 years old at the time of this match, headlining his third Wrestlemania. Overachiever.
When looking back at this match, the conclusion shouldn't have been such a surprise. Austin wrestles the entire match as a heel. I understand the storyline that he needs to win the match and the title back so desperately. But Austin is the constant aggressor. Rock is almost always the face in peril, while he clearly isn't the fan favorite here in Houston. Austin even jaws off to the referee when things aren't going his way. Rock continues to preserve even when all of his offense is booed by the crowd. Such amazing character work done by both men.
Rock is busted open early as much of this match spills outside. The ring bell plays a significant part of the match when both Rock and Austin's faces are painted on it. Both men also taste the exposed turnbuckle, which leads to Austin being busted open. One thing to remember about this match- it isn't pretty. Austin and Rock create a brutal masterpiece. This is the best brawl match the Attitude era ever produced. My favorite spot of the match comes when Austin tries to apply the million dollar dream. That call back was incredible. Rock sloppy delivery of the sharpshooter has never bothered me either. Both spots should be commended for their relationships to Austin's Wrestlemania 13 match with Bret Hart, arguably the match that kick started the Attitude era. Only fitting the Attitude era would come to close in almost a full circle fashion.
Now let's talk about the finish. Turning Austin heel wasn't a terrible move. It made sense to the character's journey. Austin had missed almost a year due to injury, during which he saw the Rock climb to the top of the card and take his spot. Austin's road to redemption had to go through the Rock. And he would do whatever it took to get there. It made sense. Now I am not sure it was the wisest business decision knowing that the Rock was leaving. Essentially there was no number 1 face anymore, with Austin as a top heel, along with Triple H and Kurt Angle right behind him. WWF would try the Invasion angle to mixed results, but one can only wonder how much of that was affected by Austin's heel turn. It also probably wasn't wise to turn Austin heel in Houston, where he was the "folk hero" JR spoke of. Again, I think turning Austin heel was a GOOD move, but the WWF probably wanted more of a reaction than they received.
One thing that has always bothered me about this match is Vince's involvement. I have no problem with him being involved in the finish, he should have. Austin and the Rock were his two greatest adversaries and it is just right that he shows up. However the timing of Vince's involvement is strangely paced. First he shows up and just stands around a bit. Than he saves Austin after the People's Elbow. We should have seen kick to the gut, stunner, new champ. Instead we get an awkward 5 minutes of uncertainty. Instead of one shocking heel turn, we get an awkward slow turn, ref bump, and endless chair shots before it's over. Steve Austin says he regrets turning heel that night. He wishes he would've just called an audible and stunned Vince. I am not sure that was the right move either. Just a spot of Austin selling his soul. I don't think this takes away much from the match, but I do wish it was a clean and obvious heel turn, instead of being a little bit over booked at the end.
As it stands this match is a classic. There have been better matches at Wrestlemania, but this the best final match ever. No one deserved to headline the biggest Wrestlemania ever, or put an end to the attitude era, more than Austin and the Rock. Of their many encounters, and 3 Wrestlemania matches, this is easily the best. It is the darkest, hardest hitting, most brutal title match I can ever remember at Wrestlemania. Part of me wants to knock the awkward ending, but every single moment leading up to the ending is so perfect that it is impossible not to rate this match as five star match.
Winner: Steve Austin – 28:07
Rating: 5 Stars
Final thoughts
Wrestlemania 17 will forever be known as one of the best wrestling cards of all time. Looking at the roster and matches shows how stacked WWF was at the time. After the purchase of WCW, Wrestlemania 17 was Vince McMahon pounding his chest in victory. He had won the Monday Night Wars. He had the top two stars of all time headline a titanic card. He even went out and produced a memorable event that will stand the test of time. I can't decisively call Mania 17 the greatest Mania of all time. I think Mania 19, 22, 24, and 28 can each make an argument for that title. But from top to bottom Wrestlemania 17 delivers. Every person contributes and plays their part perfectly. The video packages are second to none. Every talent seems hungry to prove themselves, especially in light of the coming uncertainty and arrival of WCW talent. And enough cannot be said for the commentary work of JR and Paul Heyman. They sold every match as being important and delivered the best play by play/color commentary for a single event I have ever heard. You can have you iconic JR calls all you want, for my money this was the best work he ever did. And Heyman shows that he is truly one of a kind. Wrestlemania 17 has a few flaws, namely the awkward ending and the strange timing of the WCW purchase hanging over it. It sometimes feels like there is too much going on, and everything is a little too rushed. However it is a great call back to the older Mania cards, with 11 matches and little to no filler. It will certainly be interested recounting our steps through the WWF and WCW PPV history to see how we got to this point- the true highpoint in professional wrestling history "Where it All Begins, and Ends, Again."
Ladies and gentlemen that's it for our premiere edition of "Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews." Join us next time as Gary and I head back to 1995 before the Monday Night War had even started. Until then my name is Mark Adam Haggerty alongside Gary Mastriano, reminding you to keep checking out Cheap-Heat, your number one source for original columns, countdowns and coverage of the wide world of professional wrestling.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/tna-wrestling-wanted-to-sign-wwe-hall-of-famer-for-on-air-authority-role/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/tna-wrestling-wanted-to-sign-wwe-hall-of-famer-for-on-air-authority-role/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2015 04:11:36 +0000
Cassidy Haynes
Indy/Puro/Lucha
Alberto Del Rio
Alberto El Patron
Edge
Hall of Fame
HOF
Impact
Kurt Angle
TNA
wrestling
WWE
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8883
While TNA Wrestling officials orignally wanted former WWE Champion Alberto del Rio to debut on last Wednesday's IMPACT Wrestling premiere on Destination America, a report from PWInsider.com notes that Del Rio wasn't the only former WWE name that the company wanted to appear on television. The report notes that the company wanted WWE Hall of […]
While TNA Wrestling officials orignally wanted former WWE Champion Alberto del Rio to debut on last Wednesday's IMPACT Wrestling premiere on Destination America, a report from PWInsider.com notes that Del Rio wasn't the only former WWE name that the company wanted to appear on television.
The report notes that the company wanted WWE Hall of Famer Edge, who had just appeared on WWE the week prior to appear on their product as the new TNA authority figure as Kurt Angle would be returning to active competition, however Edge and TNA Wrestling didn't make it to serious negotiations and never discussed money.
The report states that the situation was the company putting out feelers, which Edge didn't respond on and that he won't be joining the promotion.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:16:40 +0000
Mark Adam Haggerty
Blogs
Other Blogs
Top Lists
2 Cold Scorpio
Adrian Neville
AJ Styles
Austin Aries
Batista
Bill Goldberg
Bobby Lashley
Booker T
Bret Hart
British Bulldog
Bryan Danielson
Chris Benoit
Chris Jericho
Christian
Christian Cage
Christopher Daniels
CM Punk
CZW
Daniel Bryan
Darren Young
Dave Batista
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Richards
David Arquette
Dean Malenko
Degeneration X
Dwayne Johnson
Eastern Championship Wrestling
ECW
Eddie Guerrero
Edge
Elimination Chamber
Eric Bischoff
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Four Horsemen
Goldberg
Hell in a Cell
HHH
Hollywood Hogan
Impact
Jake Roberts
Jeff Jarrett
Jerry Lawler
Kane
Ken Shamrock
Kevin Nash
King Booker
King of the Ring
Kurt Angle
Latino Heat
Mankind
Matt Sydal
Mick Foley
Money in the Bank
Montreal Screwjob
Mr. Perfect
New World Order
Nigel McGuinness
Nitro
NJPW
NWA
NXT
One Night Stand
Owen Hart
Paul Bearer
Paul Heyman
Perry Saturn
Phil Brooks
Psycho Sid
Radicalz
RAW
Razor Ramon
Ready 2 Rumble
Rey Mysterio
RF Video
Ric Flair
Ring of Honor
Rob Feinstein
Rocky Maivia
Roddy Piper
ROH
Royal Rumble
Ryback
Sami Zayn
Samoa Joe
Scott Steiner
Sean Waltman
Shane Douglas
Shane McMahon
Shawn Michaels
Smackdown
Starrcade
Stephanie McMahon
Steve Austin
Stone Cold
SummerSlam
Survivor Series
TAKA Michinoku
Ted DiBiase
The Alliance
The Rock
TNA
Todd Gordon
Total Nonstop Action
Triple H
UFC
Ultimate Warrior
Undertaker
Vampiro
Vince McMahon
Vince Russo
Wade Barrett
WCW
Wolfpac
Wrestlemania
Wrestling Society X
WSX
WWE
WWF
XFL
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8812
Lucky Thirteen #2 Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that […]
Lucky Thirteen #2
Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that contained the first five Wrestlemanias. From that day I was hooked. I began tuning into WWF Superstars and WCW Saturday Night every single week, and by the spring of 1993 I was begging my parents to order Wrestlemania 9 on pay-per-view. Over the past 20 years I’ve had my share of favorite moments, but I often ask myself, what was the best year in professional wrestling? Maybe not best, but how about the most influential? Most impactful? Okay here it is: What was the Most Important Year since I Became a Fan? When other sites limit their lists to Top Ten, we take it a Step Further with the Lucky Thirteen—counting down the Top Years of the Past 2 Decades.
13. 2003
The list had to start somewhere and after cutting away seven years of nonsense I thought, what better place to begin than with 2003. Looking back I feel as though the year felt much bigger than it really was. Momentous occasions like Wrestlemania XIX and Stone Cold's retirement drew considerable attention but it's hard to isolate many other memorable moments. By this point Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor were both open and doing business, although nowhere near the level of success that they'd each see within a few short years. WCW had been closed since 2001, so WWE was slowly filtering out the Turner-holdovers and rebranding wrestlers like Booker T and Rey Mysterio as WWE Superstars. Twenty-oh-Three was the year Bill Goldberg made his long-awaited debut on Monday Night Raw where he famously told Dwayne Johnson, "You're next Rock!" In addition to a handful of interesting gimmicks and storylines scattered across the calendar, 2003 featured must-see-TV for anyone curious as to what lurked beneath the red and black mask of "The Devil's Favorite Demon" Kane. While it may appear dull in hindsight, 2003 was a fun time featuring the sex and violence of the Attitude Era, mixed with the incredible in-ring action so many of us value today.
12. 2010
Twenty-Ten proved to be an auspicious time for all wrestling organizations. Wrestlemania 26 featured the final match in the venerable career of "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels when he failed to defeat The Undertaker in Glendale. But as one man's career ended, eight more were just getting started; the initial NXT program was a far cry from the extraordinary show we see each week on the WWE Network, but it did introduce the WWE Universe to Superstars such as Ryback, Wade Barrett, Darren Young, and even the future WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Twenty-Ten was the year in which the unimaginable happened when Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his return to WWE television after a thirteen year hiatus. But 2010 was big for the competition as well. Not only were independent promotions the world-over hitting their stride due to the added exposure brought-on by social media, but TNA was enjoying one of its most visible years to date thanks to signing Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and a number of other established talents. In addition to inflating their roster, TNA made several changes to their product; they would begin to implement a traditional four-sided ring, and even attempted to compete live on Monday's with WWE Raw. The year 2010 was an exciting time for wrestling fans across the planet, and is the most modern year on my countdown.
11. 2007
It’s true that 2007 can hardly be considered a great year for professional wrestling, let alone the WWE. For a while it seemed that active wrestlers appeared on Nancy Grace more than they ever did on Raw or Smackdown. But if I'm here to countdown the most important years in wrestling, this certainly had its share of newsworthy events. In the summer of 2007, the WWE suspended more than half of its active roster in response to a litany of wellness violations for a variety of substances, most notably Human Growth Hormone. This year was historic for being the official end of "The Ruthless Aggression Era"—a period of time significant for exposing younger talent and transitioning the product out of the overtly controversial Attitude Era. In 2007 TNA expanded its flagship show IMPACT to two hours and embarked on what would be a defining age for the promotion. One of my favorite events in history happened in 2007, "The King of Europe Cup." The �Cup was a one-off event that took place over a two day period in the United Kingdom. A must-watch event that is readily available on YouTube and features well-known workers such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Matt Sydal, Davey Richards and a man who won the ROH World title in 2007—Nigel McGuinness. Sadly it's safe to say the most infamous moments of 2007 occurred between June 22nd and June 25th as the world became aware of the chilling circumstances surrounding Nancy, Daniel, and of course "The Crippler" Chris Benoit. Unfortunately for all of the positives, 2007 will forever be marred by the heinous actions of a troubled man that led to irreparable changes across the industry and what has been dubbed, "The PG Era."
10. 2006
It would appear as though 2006 was the last year representing any semblance of what was once regarded as a pop culture phenomenon. The ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view the previous year was such a success that WWE officials opted to resurrect Extreme Championship Wrestling complete with a one-hour timeslot on the Sci-Fi Channel. Edge and Rey Mysterio each made history in 2006 by becoming world champion; first Edge at New Years' Revolution and then Rey at Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago. Poised to be a contributing factor in the �New ECW', former champion Kurt Angle shocked the world in 2006 when he signed with TNA Wrestling. This year was famous for launching the career of current TNA Champion Bobby Lashley, as well as helping to define that of former Ring of Honor World Champion CM Punk. There were over a dozen debuts throughout the year due to ECW on Sci-Fi and Smackdown's "New Superstar Initiative." In Ring of Honor, the world title picture was dominated by Bryan Danielson who secured his spot atop the card from September 2005 until December 2006. In addition to WWE and TNA, MTV delivered an over the top unreal wrestling experience known as "Wrestling Society X." WSX only lasted one short season but familiarized fans with future names such as Matt Sydal and reintroduced established stars like Sean Waltman and Vampiro. Twenty-oh-Six was a great year for good storytelling that included Vince McMahon's rivalry with Shawn Michaels, Booker T becoming King Booker, and the continuing drama between Edge and John Cena. Rounding out the top ten, 2006 was an enjoyable year without much in the way of defining moments but never short on excitement.
9. 2000
When the new millennium dawned on the world of professional wrestling, so too did a number of landmark milestones and controversial occurrences. WCW released the unsuccessful "Ready 2 Rumble," starring a variety of World Championship Wrestling athletes and the man who would soon become WCW Champion—David Arquette. Not only was 2000 the year all WCW titles would be stripped and reassigned, it was also the year in which the World Championship was devalued and strapped to a B-list Hollywood celebrity. But not all was bad in the world of sports and entertainment as 2000 marked the first time Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hosted Saturday Night Live, which he did to rave reviews. While Eric Bischoff returned to WCW, a new set of "Radicalz" debuted in the WWF; Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko all jumped ship and began appearing on WWF TV in the early months of the new millennium. The Year Two-Thousand was a defining era for the Undertaker who chose this year to swap his demonic demeanor for the apparel of the "American Badass." Hulk Hogan would say his final goodbye to his WCW fans thanks to a scenario gone wrong involving the Hulkster, Jeff Jarrett, and head-writer Vince Russo. An exciting year for wrestling of course with Kurt Angle capturing his first of many world titles, but perhaps the biggest thing to happen in 2000 was the debut of Vince McMahon's now defunct football league—The XFL. Whether you're a football fan or an admirer of the "Scream" film franchise, 2000 had something for everybody to get excited about.
8. 2005
If ever a year signaled things to come it was 2005. For fans of the WWE, 2005 was the year Monday Night Raw returned home to the USA Network after a five year run on Spike TV. Two first-time world champions were crowned at Wrestlemania—John Cena and Dave Batista. But TNA had its own share of successes in 2005: the company made its highly anticipated debut on Spike TV; Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe had the only 5-Star Triple Threat Match in history; and Christian Cage signed a deal, opening the gates to a deluge of ex-WWE Superstars. ECW was in the midst of a resurrection that would culminate in 2006, but 2005 was the year the WWE hosted the first "ECW One Night Stand," in New York City. On the independent scene, a former backyard wrestler named Phil Brooks won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from the highly decorated Austin Aries, thus placing CM Punk on WWE's radar. Later that year another future WWE Champion would capture the ROH World Title and hold it for over four hundred days—"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. Back in the WWE, six daring individuals were getting ready to introduce the world to "Money in the Bank," and later that year Shawn Michaels faced Hulk Hogan for the first time ever at Summerslam. Chris Jericho was fired by Eric Bischoff and then Bischoff himself was released resulting in Eric leaving the arena in the back of a garbage truck. But even in the silliest of times, sadness rears its ugly head and it was in 2005 that the world was forced to say goodbye to the former WWE Champion, "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero. From the highs to the lows, 2005 was an important year that no one will ever forget.
7. 1994
Not such an enormous year for the industry-leading WWF, but a landmark time period for much of the competition. Having survived his battle with the US Government, Vince McMahon was back in full control of his company; 1994 was the year of Wrestlemania X and the infamous bout between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels that would set the bar for ladder matches to come. The Undertaker mysteriously disappeared at the Royal Rumble and come Summerslam, the WWF fans were privy to not one—but TWO Undertakers! Of course this was the year that the Hart Family rivalry between Bret and Owen kicked into high gear, including a match of the year contender at Wrestlemania and a championship cage match at Summerslam. But outside the confines of the WWF, events began to take place that would lay the foundation for the Attitude Era. The NWA was the longstanding governing body of professional wrestling in the United States and Japan for several decades. In 1994 the NWA title was to be decided in Philadelphia at Todd Gordon's Eastern Championship Wrestling, with Shane Douglas set to win the gold. Instead Douglas disregarded the title, disgracing the NWA in the process by claiming he would not represent a company that, "died, R.I.P. seven years ago!" ECW broke away from the NWA and declared themselves Extreme Championship Wrestling with "The Franchise" as their champion. Down in WCW, Eric Bischoff was moving ahead by leaps and bounds thanks to an array of positive changes in production, including the debut of WCW Saturday Night at Disney's MGM Studios in Orlando. But perhaps there was nothing in '94 as monumental as when WCW signed Hulk Hogan. Bischoff wasted no time in booking the dream contest WWF refused to feature at Wrestlemania VIII two years earlier. In his debut match alongside Mr. T and Shaquille O'Neil, Hulk Hogan defeated "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the WCW Title. Who's to say if things had gone differently in �94, the industry of today might be something else entirely.
6. 1998
The Attitude Era might have started in �97, but 1998 was the year in which the world was introduced to the brand new World Wrestling Federation. WCW turned up the heat on the competition by introducing a brand new Thursday night program on TBS titled, "Thunder." This was the year that saw The Four Horsemen reunite on Monday Nitro including Ric Flair who had since left the company. The NWO was continuing to grow and would eventually split into two entities: NWO Hollywood with Hulk Hogan, and NWO Wolfpac lead by Kevin Nash. WCW cornered the video game market in �98 with one of the most prolific wrestling games in history—WCW/NWO Revenge for the Nintendo 64. Over in the �Federation, Superstars were beginning to get "hardcore" and a new title with a 24/7 stipulation was introduced on TV. Not only were the �falls' taking place backstage and in the audience, but from on top of the Hell in a Cell as Mick Foley was launched from the structure, and then drilled through it at the 1998 King of the Ring. WCW continued to beat the WWF in the Monday Night War due to a consistent strategy based on booking their top matches on cable, rather than pay-per-view. Bill Goldberg, who had already made a name for himself by maintaining an unprecedented winning streak made history when he became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. But Bill was far from the only bald-headed badass to win gold in 1998. Earlier that year, Stone Cold Steve Austin captured his first world title after defeating Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIV in Boston. It was a profitable year for all wrestling companies including ECW, but 1998 would be the last year WCW would succeed in dominating the WWF in the ratings.
5. 1996
Maybe it's because Shawn Michaels' boyhood dream came true at Wrestlemania XII; or the initial formation of the NWO at Bash at the Beach; even the insane rivalry between "The Excellence of Execution" and "The Texas Rattlesnake." Whatever it was, my personal favorite year in professional wrestling was 1996. The spring began with a bang as Scott Hall made his first appearance on Turner Television, joined just a few weeks later by Kevin Nash. In June of 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke from Ted DiBiase and became the King of the Ring; during his royal coronation, Stone Cold uttered a phrase that would change his career forever—"Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" But just as heels began to turn face, so did longtime heroes turn to the dark side. Along with the debut of the New World Order was the introduction of the evil Hollywood Hogan, who won the WCW title in August 1996 and held it just six days shy of one year. The Survivor Series that fall was famous for memorable main event matches as well as a number of debuts including that of the first ever third generation WWF Superstar, Rocky Maivia. Paul Bearer made the turn on �Taker in favor of the far more deranged Mankind; The Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts returned for a short period, each feuding with Jerry Lawler; Roddy Piper was featured on both WWF Wrestlemania and WCW Starrcade; ECW was beginning to break out nationwide. But most importantly—the Monday Night War was just getting underway. WCW debuted Nitro on TNT in the autumn of �95, and it was in 1996 that WCW finally succeeded in stealing Vince McMahon's spotlight.
4. 2001
In terms of the industry changing forever, 2001 might have been the most cataclysmic year in wrestling history. It was this year that WCW fans became aware of what was to become of their preferred promotion. Although many familiar faces were involved in negotiating the resurrection of WCW, it was Vince McMahon who purchased his competition for a mere $2.2 million dollars—a price that included licensing, tape libraries, and the contracts belonging to twenty-two WCW performers. In addition to the end of World Championship Wrestling, Paul Heyman signed a deal with Vince McMahon in 2001 some months after ECW was unseated by the WWF as Spike TV's premier wrestling program. The World Wrestling Federation was the winner of the Monday Night War and the Attitude Era was at an end. The summer of 2001 was highlighted by the Invasion storyline featuring an enormity of former WCW and ECW talents rallying together against the WWF with Shane and Stephanie McMahon leading the charge. This would be the year that Stone Cold Steve Austin would turn heel twice, first by joining forces with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania and then by turning on the WWF and joining the Alliance. Speaking of Wrestlemania, Houston hosted the Seventeenth annual extravaganza—an event like none other that included the highly revered TLC triple threat tag match won by Edge and Christian. On September 13th, Vince McMahon and the WWF Superstars set a national precedent by appearing in Texas just days removed from the World Trade Center attacks in what Vince called, "the largest public gathering of its size since the events of Tuesday." In December of 2001 the two world titles were unified in a competition that would see Chris Jericho beat The Rock as well as Steve Austin in the same night to become the first ever Undisputed WWF Champion in history. The year 2001 was a peculiar period for the wrestling industry as it was the only year in which the WWF was faced with no immediate competition.
3. 1999
With the Attitude Era in full swing, 1999 was an enormous year for the WWF both inside the squared circle as well as on Wall Street. The WWF became the first wrestling promotion in history to go public in 1999, and followed the success with a series of groundbreaking business decisions still in effect today. The company introduced Smackdown on the UPN Network on Thursday Nights as competition to WCW's Thunder on the TBS Superstation. The Rock was enjoying his inaugural championship title reign and would face Steve Austin for their first of three �Mania encounters at Wrestlemania XV in Philadelphia. Unfortunately the good can often be overshadowed by the tragic; on May 23, 1999 the world of professional wrestling lost one of its favorite stars when Owen Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri. Owen will never be forgotten as his passing was one of the most earth-shattering moments in history—wrestling or otherwise. Behind the scenes, longtime WWF head writer Vince Russo had become disenfranchised by the �Federation and jumped ship to rival WCW where Eric Bischoff was forcibly removed from his post as president. As WCW struggled during turbulent times, the WWF continued to prosper with the continuation of the McMahon/Austin saga, the further explored escapades of Degeneration X, and the debuts of The Big Show and Chris Jericho. The WWF would experience its first Monday night ratings victory since 1996 when Mick Foley defeated The Rock for the WWF Heavyweight Championship on a taped episode of Raw airing January 4th 1999. Titles changed hands that same night on TNT when Hollywood Hogan won the WCW title from Kevin Nash for a fifth time thanks to a booking misstep nicknamed "The Finger Poke of Doom." The Land of Extreme was also abuzz in �99 as this was the year ECW would debut on national cable television thanks to The Nashville Network, soon-to-be-known as Spike TV. The last year of the 20th Century was a period of growth for the WWF, but proved to be an unpredictable era for WCW, making it difficult to compete in the coming years of the new millennium.
2. 2002
If 2001 was the end of an era, 2002 was the dawning of a new age across the varied landscape of professional wrestling. The WWF began by changing its name to World Wrestling Entertainment in light of a conflict regarding the World Wildlife Fund. The campaign was dubbed "Get the �F' Out" and would help introduce audiences to an entirely new breed of "Ruthless Aggression," in the now-WWE. Two new promotions would rise from the ashes of the fallen WCW and ECW. There was former WCW Champion Jeff Jarrett's Southern-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling—a subsidiary of the National Wrestling Alliance. TNA was originally intended to be a pay-per-view only promotion hosting ten dollar events once a week. In 2002 they crowned their very first Heavyweight Champion, former UFC and WWF competitor "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock. Meanwhile RF Video—a pro wrestling video distribution company, was looking for a new promotion now that ECW was gone. Rather than working with established groups such as CZW, RF owner Rob Feinstein founded Ring of Honor and ran their first event, "The Era of Honor Begins" in April 2002. Back in the WWE, the entire roster was split into two warring halves—one set for Smackdown and the other relegated to Raw. The year was infamous for the seemingly relentless parade of surprise appearances that lasted the entirety of 2002. Former Superstars like Mr. Perfect and Scott Steiner became part of the current roster once more; Eric Bischoff debuted as the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw; the NWO opened No Way Out; but perhaps most surprising of all was the return of Shawn Michaels after more than four years away from the ring. Michaels captured the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match when he defeated five other superstars including Triple H. Maybe one of the greatest years in the past two decades, but not quite number one.
1. 1997
The Number One Year of the Past Two Decades is 1997, and it shouldn’t be hard to see why. This year was the official launch of The Attitude Era in the WWF, signifying Vince McMahon's intention to compete with WCW on a whole new level. The competition didn't waiver however, as World Championship Wrestling was eager to meet the demand of audiences across the world. The "New Generation" made way for D-Generation X, a heel group similar to the NWO featuring Shawn Michaels and Triple H at the forefront. It was DX at the center of one of the most scandalous nights in wrestling—"The Montreal Screwjob." WCW was having its best year since Eric Bischoff took control of the company and bested their direct competition every week thanks to compelling storylines and the introduction of a former Atlanta Falcon named Bill Goldberg. The NWO storyline had yet to run its course and was complimented by the slow-build and impending confrontation between Hollywood Hogan and Sting at Starrcade. The Undertaker would become the WWF Champion for the first time in nearly six years when he defeated Psycho Sid at Wrestlemania XIII in Chicago, the same night Bret Hart and Steve Austin would wrestle their Match of the Year to a stunning conclusion. Paul Heyman's third party promotion dubbed Extreme Championship Wrestling would present their first ever pay-per-view event Barely Legal thanks in part to the promotion they received during the ECW Invasion of Monday Night Raw. The WWF became far more innovative during this period and introduced audiences to the Hell in a Cell and by circumstance the demonic younger brother of the Dead Man, Kane. It was also in 1997 that a hapless play-by-play announcer named Vince McMahon became one of the most detestable villains in professional wrestling history. The WWF would also begin debuting a number of midcard titles including the European Championship first held by The British Bulldog, and the Light Heavyweight Championship won by Taka Michinoku. WCW continued to maintain their edge in the ratings due to quality in-ring performances as well as plot twists and surprise appearances from WWF Superstars-turned-WCW Big Boys. It's not really a question: when asked about the single most action-packed and influential year from the past two decades of wrestling, I don't hesitate when I say 1997.
Conclusion
This list is ripe for discussion and debate, just as any other countdown featured in The Lucky Thirteen. You might agree, you probably disagree, I may have even listed your favorite year toward the bottom. It’s nothing personal, I promise. This list lives outside of the WWE Universe, but is of course greatly influenced by it. In regards to not including 2014, I didn’t want to include a year that hadn't yet concluded when I began compiling my information. I will say however with NJPW, the birth of the WWE Network, the salvation of TNA, and the first ROH Classic PPV, 2014 is sure to climb higher than any other year of the “Reality Era.” Whatever your feelings may be, I hope to see you again next week for another exciting countdown exclusively at Cheap-Heat. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been—The Lucky Thirteen.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/tna-commentator-taz-announces-deal-with-cbs-radio/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/tna-commentator-taz-announces-deal-with-cbs-radio/#comments Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:40:47 +0000
Cassidy Haynes
Indy/Puro/Lucha
Adam Copeland
CBS Radio
Edge
Taz
TNA
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8591
Speaking through his official Twitter account, TNA Wrestling commentator Taz announced that he has signed a deal with CBS Radio to house his new podcast. The first episode with WWE Hall of Famer Edge is currently online. I’m proud to announce that I’ve signed with these guys & this is their new podcast platform! Play.Itpic.twitter.com/uqbKWQPKHi […]
Speaking through his official Twitter account, TNA Wrestling commentator Taz announced that he has signed a deal with CBS Radio to house his new podcast.
The first episode with WWE Hall of Famer Edge is currently online.
I’m proud to announce that I’ve signed with these guys & this is their new podcast platform! Play.It
pic.twitter.com/uqbKWQPKHi
http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown-122015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown-122015/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2015 02:08:31 +0000
Mark Adam Haggerty
Blogs
Other Blogs
Adam Rose
Alexander Rusev
Big Show
Bray Wyatt
Brian Pillman
Christian
Curtis Axel
Dean Ambrose
Dean Malenko
ECW
Edge
Goldust
J & J Security
Jamie Noble
Joey Mercury
Kane
Kofi Kingston
Konnor
Miz
MizDow
Mr. Perfect
NWA
NXT
Phil Brooks
R-Truth
RAW
Rhodes Brothers
Ring of Honor
Roddy Piper
Roman Reigns
Royal Rumble
Rusev
Ryback
Seth Rollins
Smackdown
Stardust
Steve Austin
The Ascension
The Authority
The Giant
The Usos
TNA
Viktor
Vince McMahon
WCW
WWE
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8500
Let me be among the first columnists here at Cheap-Heat to wish you and yours a wonderfully Happy New Year and welcome to 2015! Thus far things feel pretty much the same when compared to last year but let’s not jinx ourselves because boring is better than any number of alternatives—am I right? I feel […]
Let me be among the first columnists here at Cheap-Heat to wish you and yours a wonderfully Happy New Year and welcome to 2015! Thus far things feel pretty much the same when compared to last year but let’s not jinx ourselves because boring is better than any number of alternatives—am I right? I feel good, so let's skip the ceremony and talk about Smackdown! Monday Night Raw was a white knuckle thrill ride up until the last segment so I’m optimistic that my breakdown of Smackdown might yield equally exciting moments—granted I usually write this intro blindly before I even tune in, so we're all going to find out together! My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I’m ready to report on the first Smackdown of 2015. More importantly I’m here to tell you What’s Cookin’ and What Doesn’t Matter!
You think you know us…
The reception couldn't have been hotter this past Monday when the former tag team champions and innovators of TLC opted to host the final Raw of 2014. However if I know the WWE the way I think I do, they'll try and take what worked for the USA Network and reimagine it on SyFy—and that's exactly what they did. The reaction to the hosts of The Cutting Edge and Peep Show respectively was far less energetic than the live response on Raw, but it's still good to see both Edge and Christian regardless of what the arena may have to say. Christian is a captivating character to me for a variety of reasons, unfortunately not all of which are positive. Back in 2005 when he broke from the �Fed and jumped ship to TNA there were a lot of people convinced that Captain Charisma was a far bigger deal than Vince ever allowed him to become. In hindsight it appears that Christian was just the first major WWE talent to sign with TNA, however his NWA World Heavyweight title reign helped to cement him as a main event superstar in millions of minds across the world. I appreciate Christian for everything he's done in the WWE, in TNA, on the independent circuit and beyond but I refuse to pretend that Jason Reso and Adam Copeland are anywhere close to one another when it comes to accomplishments. During the opening segment in which both former world champions made their way to the ring, I was privy to a plethora of Tweets, many of which questioning why Edge is always upstaging Christian. Uh—it's because he's better than Christian. And that's really all there is to it. That being said, I do think Christian deserves more of a championship send off than the quiet retirement he's been otherwise relegated to. Unlike Raw which had a hodgepodge of well-constructed backstage segments, Smackdown was forced to make due with Edge and Christian's boring blend of sophomoric stunts. Speaking of which: what the hell did they even draw on the photo of Stephanie and Hunter? If I had to tell you whether the interplay between Edge and Christian was Cookin' or Didn't Matter, I'd be inclined to give it the thumbs up as it is sure to tickle at least one of your funny bones and could prove to be the most exciting fifteen minutes of the entire show.
J&J Security is the New APA
Okay that's not exactly true, but I'm enjoying Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury quite a bit, perhaps just as much as I did the beer swilling antics of The Acolyte Protection Agency some 15 years ago. When the limo pulled into view I was almost certain we were going to get our first taste of The Authority in 2015, but as soon as I saw the disheveled driver I said, "There's no way Triple H would stand for that." And sure enough it was The New Stooges—2015's answer to Brisco and Patterson! Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble are two of the most talented wrestlers of the past ten years and beyond. In fact while many might remember Mercury for his tag team title victories, fewer can recall Jamie "Noble" Gibson's 2005 reign as Ring of Honor World Champion. It's an honor for WWE to present these venerated icons on TV each week, I just hope it leads to an appearance by their fellow producer and similarly decorated wrestler Dean Malenko. Not much to say about these two and their role on tonight's show other than to praise the work they do alongside whomever they're positioned. The repartee between the Stooges and E&C was some of the best organic comedy to have come from WWE TV in a long time and it makes me wonder if the company is utilizing any of these four talents in teaching timing to the kids down in developmental. In terms of overall talent, Jamie and Joey are two of the most formidable members of the main roster and it's only fitting that the promotion continues to feature them. If I had to narrow down the asinine antics of J&J to just one moment, it would most likely be when the duo commandeered Edge and Christian's pose-down gimmick, choosing to instead pose themselves—for the benefit of everybody with flash photography, of course. All around a cookin' display by two future Hall of Fame candidates.
“Lay down Rowan! We’re not meant to fight!”
When I released my "Top Fourteen Wrestlers of 2014", I was immediately criticized for not listing Bray Wyatt—not even as one of my SIX honorable mentions. Wyatt is an exceptional talent when Creative cares to provide him with provocative and oftentimes controversial material with which to work, but outside of his feud with John Cena during the first half of the year, I thought 2014 was a rather lackluster year for the next generation Varsity Club Member. The quiet dissolution of the Wyatt Family might have made sense in regards to protecting Luke Harper but it's done nothing to explain the current mindset of Erick Rowan. When this match kicked off, the audience could hear Wyatt plead with Rowan, heaving heavily-worded epitaphs to their former friendship at the monster, and protecting himself only with the phrase, "We are not meant to fight." This leads me to wonder what kind of contact the two "brothers" have even had since the confusing way in which their stable disbanded. I'm hopeful that 2015 will be a landmark year for young Windham Rotunda—quite frankly any sort of spotlight would spell a more successful several months for Rowan. I'd like to see Rowan built upon in a more respectable fashion, perhaps by engaging himself with Rusev once his streak has been squashed. If Erick Rowan can walk away from TV with a handful of victories this year, the next clash between Big Red and The Eater of Worlds might prove to be far more fascinating than this, a segment which I must admit does not matter.
Rhodes and Rose versus Truth and Usos
To truly get the most out of that title you'll need some cursory knowledge of iambic pentameter—it's a poetry thing, it doesn't matter. When I wrote my review for Raw I made mention that while there wasn't a whole lot of work going on from bell to bell, the few matches we did witness were enough to offset an otherwise unbalanced broadcast. The same cannot be said for Smackdown however as the shorter show had just as few moments of mat work, but lacked severely by comparison in regard to promos and production. If I had to choose a match of the night I guess it would be this six-man encounter featuring the new Tag Team Champions teaming with R. Truth as they battle The Rhodes Brothers and Adam Rose. I thought this match was incredibly entertaining despite the commercial breaks that only hindered my enjoyment; whenever I find myself fully invested I'm forcefully ejected from the moment by a commercial for Dig or Haven or whatever other bogus chicanery SyFy feels wrestling fans might be keen on. The Uso's were named the number one tag team in the WWE by many podcasters and columnists, but not without disclaimers disowning the tag division as a whole, thus declaring Jimmy and Jey winners by default. While I can agree the WWE is severely lacking in competition for the now-two time champions, it isn't fair to discredit a deserving team based solely on the company's lack of direction. I think a common complaint is that the Uso's might be making liberal use out of their over-the-top aerial maneuvers, but what else can you fault the duo on other than an unbelievable work ethic? Adam Rose is becoming one of the more interesting members of the roster in my eyes, and believe me—I know how insane that sounds! I think the reemergence of Leo Kruger is all but imminent at this point, though I'm not sure whether he'll change his name or simply remain Adam Rose. This has more than likely been a case of a character not clicking with the audience outside of developmental, but half of me still holds hope that Adam Rose is a cover-persona concocted only to help introduce Kruger in a more meaningful way. This match was definitely cookin' by comparison as it offered the best back and forth storytelling of the evening. Other matches may have featured higher profile players, but this contest was perhaps the only on the card to consider Kayfabe and therefore suspend anybody's disbelief.
Well it's the Big Show…
The Big Show "broke into" the WWE just about 16 years ago and if you would have told me that THE GIANT would be wrestling more than twenty years after his WCW debut, I'd have called you a dirty liar. Who thought Paul Wight would even be alive in twenty-fifteen, much less engaged in one of the more important programs leading into Wrestlemania season? It's absolutely absurd to consider the fact that this guy was the ECW Champion nine years ago, and even then was said to be on the backside of his career. I think it's about time for the "Big Nasty Bastard" to consider accepting a Hall of Fame ring in return for his spot on the main roster, because his presence on the card is getting ugly. I'm not trying to bury the Big Show, but when evaluating what's really wrong with Raw and Smackdown, you shan't look any further than the Big Show to find one hell of a problem. One of the biggest complaints about Vince McMahon and the way he's chosen to run his company is the stigma he inevitably attaches to independent and international talents who were established elsewhere; I think as long as superstars such as �Show and Kane are willing to continue, there will be no shortage of high profile programs available for them. But can we stop putting them through tables? Anyway—I've always been a proponent of using established main eventers to put over deserving young talent, especially in the case of an individual such as Ryback. But I question the logic involved in using The Big Show to sell both Ryback and Reigns simultaneously. A loss on either side cheapens the program going in the Royal Rumble for everybody, all while forcing Ryback into a tough spot with very little hope for a positive outcome. This time last week I was trying to give the WWE the benefit of the doubt as the annual calendar change generally yields lower ratings, but now that we've fully entered another year and Smackdown is set to switch time slots, I have little left in the way of empathy and I implore WWE to start treating their B-show like a live event even if they know it's not. I suppose if you're interested in the further development of Ryan Reeves and The Ryback character this segment might have a few standout spots but it is my professional opinion that this match and the hype associated therein simply does not matter.
Curtis Axel… oh wait no, just kidding…
You get it, because it looked like Curtis Axel was going to compete, but then didn't? Remember? Go ahead and rewind because it happened so quickly that I'm assuming a good deal of Facebook Junkies and Twitter Addicts missed the 30 seconds of ring time and began taking notice again once The Lunatic Fringe started speaking his peace. I can't very well argue that The Big Show shouldn't be squashed and then offer up no opinion on who deserves to do the job instead. Curtis Axel is the perfect superstar for this type of role because he's got name recognition, he's a very talented worker, but nobody gives a Phil Brooks about him! I always wondered why Creative chose to bury guys like Kofi Kingston when Mr. Perfect's sourly untalented son was around, more than happy to get any sort of TV time. I was actually pretty intrigued by the direction this segment took as it introduced Dean as a man willing to handle his business, but still determined to take vengeance on Bray Wyatt. Dean Ambrose gets compared to Steve Austin on a regular basis and while I can see the similarities plain as day, I think Dean may instead lay somewhere between Roddy Piper and Brian Pillman, perhaps with some Scott Levy thrown in as well. I think his movements in the ring in addition to his very distinct facial features are reminiscent of Raven, while his vocal delivery and unpredictable nature are more akin to Roddy Piper. Everybody appears to introduce the uncanny comparisons to Pillman when it comes to the "Loose Cannon" aspect but I more so see Flyin' Brian in Dean's temerity and tenacity inside the ring. As pertains to the program with Wyatt and Ambrose, I couldn't care less about their relationship to one another; I love both characters and I'm inspired to tune in thanks to the thought of where both men might be following this career-defining feud
The Ascension Sucks
I had to get that out somehow without pulling any punches and the facts are simple: The Ascension Sucks. When I first started working for Cheap-Heat I was given an assignment that stated: "Make a case for the Ascension on Team Authority." It was an arduous adventure to say the least as I've never been impressed with either individual and have no faith that they'll ever make it out of 2015. I think their success on NXT was owed greatly to the size difference between developmental and main roster talent. There's been an obvious shift in criteria when it comes to how big a professional wrestler has to be, but the main roster hasn't yet caught up with the rest of the wrestling world the way NXT has. I had a hard time believing any of the action that went on during their debut against The Miz and Mizdow, and I'm sure I'm not the only one as this Friday's match had Konnor and Viktor pitted against an unknown pair of jobbers. To their credit however, the jobbers did a marvelous job of selling the Ascension as well as their finishing move "The Fall of Man" which is basically just "Total Elimination" as performed by amateurs. I don't have much positive to say about The Ascension as their gimmick seems to rely heavily on their ability to dominate. Who are they going to dominate when high flying teams such as The Uso's and Los Matadores are even bigger than they are?
Roman versus Rusev: Protecting Nobody
I understand that Christian wanted to compete with Edge in the coolness category, but Captain Charisma just cannot hold a candle to the Rated R Superstar, even when Christian makes outlandish main event announcements like when he booked Roman Reigns and the United States Champion Alexander Rusev. The most casual of fans has to know that Rusev isn't ready to relinquish his incredibly impressive litany of wins since arriving in the WWE, and it certainly won't happen on a taped show set to broadcast on the second day of the year. At the same time, Roman Reigns has been behind the eight-ball for several months during a time initially deemed the cotillion for twenty-nine year old Leati Anoa'i. The match itself was tolerable enough, but knowing the outcome may only unfold in one of but a few ways inhibits one's ability to get behind either Superstar. I think Rusev is without question the most athletically superior new face on the main roster. A lot is to be said for Seth Rollins but pound for pound, skill for skill—my money is on The Bulgarian Brute. I'm still not sold on Reigns, and I hope the powers-that-be have finally come to terms with the fact that this shouldn't be Roman's year. If he's pushed now, it could tarnish whatever natural momentum he might be privy to in the future. I really think the best thing to do is engage him with the Big Show and stay the course; work him alongside established stars and fellow powerhouses so that by Summeslam he's more suited to challenge Seth Rollins for the title I predict the Architect will be in possession of come August.
Compared to its flagship counterpart this episode of Friday Night Smackdown failed to ever hit a peak with which I felt comfortable declaring a break out moment. There were several moderately interesting occurrences that succeeded in driving the overall story arch forward, but nothing ever clicked with me. I’m a pretty jaded puroresu and indie fanatic, but I usually give WWE the benefit of the doubt. I’m having a hard time believing Smackdown can ever be viable unless it ever goes live, which seems to be too much to ask from a roster of wrestlers already spread far too thin. Whatever they do, I hope the WWE does something to shake up their B Show because it’s becoming little more than 90 minutes of meaningless exhibitions spliced together alongside footage from Raw. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty; if you only make one resolution this New Years, have it be to bookmark my page here at Cheap-Heat. You'll like the way it looks—I guarantee it.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/my-new-years-wrestolutions/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/my-new-years-wrestolutions/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2015 03:23:06 +0000
Scott Hayes
Blogs
Other Blogs
Cesaro
Chris Jericho
Daniel Bryan
Diesel
DX
ECW
Edge
Hacksaw
Jim Duggan
Khali
Mick Foley
Money in the Bank
NXT
Royal Rumble
Shane Douglas
The Nation
WWE
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8378
Greetings and Salutations Cheap-Heaters! Welcome to the.. "Something… something… Cool AND Clever Column". (name is a work in progress) – These are MY New Year's Wrestolutions! (see what I did there?) Oh, Dear. I'm getting ahead of myself. You're all out there wondering who in the chartreuse hell is THIS?! And why do we care […]
Greetings and Salutations Cheap-Heaters! Welcome to the.. "Something… something… Cool AND Clever Column". (name is a work in progress) – These are MY New Year's Wrestolutions! (see what I did there?)
Oh, Dear. I'm getting ahead of myself. You're all out there wondering who in the chartreuse hell is THIS?! And why do we care about HIS wrestolutions?! Well allow me to introduce myself:
I'm the S…C… O… double-T … Hmm… that doesn't feel right.
How �bout? I'm the trail blazing, eyebrow raising… wait… that's REALLY not me.
Okay in the interest of brevity (not my strong suit) we'll come up with a fancy, clever, Attitude Era styled introduction NEXT time. This time we'll keep it simple.
My name is Scott, and I'm a longtime wrestling fan, and part time writer. I was an efedder, have been to two Wrestlemanias, have a slew of the take home floor seats from WWE PPVs. I've been there live to seen Daniel Bryan cash in Money in the Bank. Edge Spear Foley through a flaming table. The DX as the Nation segment, and most importantly I saw the Fake Razor and Fake Diesel! My college friends joked that a pick up line of mine would be "Hi I'm Scott and I've been to 10 live wrestling shows". For the record? That number is much higher now. I've drunkenly exchanged Flair chops for… uh… fun? I've exchanged tweets with John Cena (it was about the Red Sox). I've been subpoenaed for a lawsuit against Shane Douglas and ECW (a story I'll tell at a later date.). I've met Chris Jericho (my all time favorite). I've been bled on by… someone at that same ECW show that landed me the subpoena (I mention that in my bio) and got to 2nd base with the Blue Meanie! (when high fives go wrong) There you have it a bit of my resume slash wrestling "street cred".
Mostly I'm here to write about something i enjoy, have so laughs, have fun, and hopefully drag a few of you kicking and screaming with me. While I toyed with the idea of debuting myself with a year end list? I decided against that and instead of looking back at 2014? I'd look ahead to 2015.
And I'm not looking to fantasy book. Not looking to see how what the bidness should resolve to do. This column is how i resolve to be a better wrestling fan in the upcoming year. Like a great man once said, I think it was Khali?
Garble-gargle-warble – no, wasn't me.
Maybe it was Hacksaw.
N-hOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! wasn't me either.
I dunno… I you can google it.
"
Be the change you want to see in the world… of wrestling."
So here are my (insert number here) Wrestolutions:
i –
Do more writing about wrestling. Sweet! I'm already on my way! Resolutioning is easy!
ii –
Attend 5 live events. This might be a stretch. I think I got to three shows last year. I COULD be 40% done this by the weekend of the Royal Rumble, but THAT will be another story for another day.
iii –
Invest more time, money, and, or effort into non-TNA/WWE federations. I dabble in RoH. I've watched a little Lucha Underground. I've enjoyed both, and it would be a lot easier if they both were available on my cable provider. But I'm looking to branch out with my wrestling fandom a little more. Starting with the GFW/NJPW (I really don't know what I'm supposed to call it) – PPV on Sunday. I'm always willing and open to suggestions so feel free to hit me up here or on Twitter if there is something you'd think I'd like.
iv –
Lose thirty… wait… wrong list.
v –
Tweet more wrestling stuff. My twitter is by far the place where I'm most active and public as a wrestling fan. I like engaging in discussions during shows. I want to not only continue my activity, but increase it. Possibly working to combo live tweeting a show with a review type column. Its been an idea I've been kicking around in the ole noggin.
vi –
Dissolve my Cesaro man crush. This one won't happen. It might be the NYE spirits coursing through my veins. But its clear the WWE doesn't feel about him like I do, and so I'm destined to be miserably let down. Again… This one won't happen, but hey if i keep fifty-one percent of these resolutions Its a win, right?
vii –
I guess I'll follow THAT lovely little piece of cynicism with this: Be more positive. Or at least optimistic. I pride myself on having a pretty level headed and fair outlook on the industry. I try to take away positives, but I think I can be better. Though there were Raws over the last 12 weeks that really REALLY tried me.
viii –
The one I REALLY hope I keep: See NXT live while the getting is good. I want to strike while the iron's hot. I've already been looking into making a trip to Full Sail (I live in the Northeast) for the next NXT special. I'd like to be a part of that, and especially considering the current roster they have. Plus a trip to Florida even if its in spring? Sounds wonderful…
Hayes fact 261
: I hate the cold.
There you have it. A list of eight Wrestolutions for my 2015. What about you? What are your own aspirations for your wrestling fandom for the upcoming year? Shout them from the roof tops. Send a raven (For you GoT fans out there). Or ya know… leave a comment.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/thoughts-and-ramblings-wwe-monday-night-raw-edition-122314/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/thoughts-and-ramblings-wwe-monday-night-raw-edition-122314/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2014 19:37:24 +0000
Michael Roberts
Blogs
Other Blogs
Adam Rose
Bray Wyatt
Christian
Dean Ambrose
Dolph Ziggler
Edge
Fandango
Goldust
HBK
Jack Swagger
John Cena
Lana
Luke Harper
Michael Cole
NXT
RAW
Rey Mysterio
Roddy Piper
Roman Reigns
Rosebud
Rusev
Ryback
Seth Rollins
Shawn Michaels
Stardust
True Detective
Tyson Kidd
WWE
http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8243
Some Raw thoughts: – Rollins vs Cena was AMAZING. Really love their chemistry together in the ring. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I marked when Cena busted out a pop-up sit-out powerbomb. I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week, these two work GREAT with one another. Fuck it, […]
Some Raw thoughts:
– Rollins vs Cena was AMAZING. Really love their chemistry together in the ring. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I marked when Cena busted out a pop-up sit-out powerbomb. I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week, these two work GREAT with one another. Fuck it, give ’em another match! Pure gold, these two.
– Swagger loses to Fandango? Okay. Did he get another DUI or something? Also, Fandango’s new gimmick sucks.
– Tyson Kidd’s look with the head phones is great. Douchebag personified.
#FACT
– I can’t believe I was a Rosebud a few months ago. Amazing how a de-push and constant burial can change someone in the eyes of a wrestling fan. Oh well.
– Minneapolis felt incredibly smarky and faux-bellious tonight towards Roman Reigns. I get it. He’s the new “it” guy the WWE Machine wants to push to the moon. We’re supposed to hate that and rebel! Woooooo!!! Fuck what’s popular!
“Boring!” “You can’t wrestle” “Michael Cole!”
– Shut up. Just… shut, the fuck, up. As soon as the man started going crazy on the outside and put Show over the table, you marked and cheered for him. Make up your minds. Jesus CHRIST, you hypocrites.
– I hope this Goldust and Stardust jobbing is leading to a feud between the two. Otherwise, there’s just no point in wasting their talents like this.
– Harper sounds like The Yellow King from True Detective.
#Carcosa
– Man the opening to the IC title match GOT me. I thought it was over quick, which would’ve been amazing in a sense that, it added so much more to this brewing rivalry between Harper and Ziggler. Nevertheless, we got a fantastic match out of the two and Ziggler pulled out a hard fought win that made him look like diamonds.
– If they continue building Ziggler as the Resilience King like HBK and Rey Rey used to be, I’ll be more inclined to shake my pom-poms at Zigglermania.
– Also… does anyone else get this vibe that they’re pushing Ziggler for the upset victory in the Royal Rumble? Because I do.
– One more thing… Ziggler REALLY gets some height on that Fameasser.. which I thought was supposed to be called the Namedropper?
– EDGE AND CHRISTIAN.
– God I love Piper. He’ll always be one of my favorites to watch.
– Ryback and Rusev is going to be one awful match, and it kind of sucks that they’re inevitably going to give Ryback that distinctive first victory against Rusev, AND a title. Blah.
– But maybe that’s just the Punk Podcast influencing my opinion of Ryback? I don’t know.
– This crowd is just fucking too obnoxious. The whole WHAT? chanting during Bray’s awesome promo? Made me sick
– Loved the idea of this “Miracle on 34th Street Fight”. And when I saw the presents I loved it even MORE. Though, I was disappointed there wasn’t a piranha tank inside one of those presents.
– Great match. Really hated this crowd, though. They chanted boring during every match of the night. Completely unwarranted, IMO.
– Surprised Wyatt won the match, to be honest. Ambrose has lost every match so far from this feud. Great for Wyatt, but I wonder where they go from here for the man who had the hottest item on shop zone for the holidays.
– Solid Raw. Great effort, and I feel like this was a response to the criticism WWE has taken after being shown their ass by NXT.
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.
