Wrestling Discussion Thread (WWE, TNA, ECW, WCW, etc.)

[Ken Savage]

I seem to remember Show having a good (but brief) run as champ in a feud against Brock Lenser.

[Upgrayedd]

Yeah, I don't understand the reasoning behind Big Show's pushes either. They'll get it totally right with him for some feuds and the he'll be a joke. He's got the look and charisma. You'd think Vince would turn him into that dominating big man.

I agree, his feud with Brock Lesnar was pretty good as well as his run as "ECW" champion and so was his push when he came back and had that feud with Mayweather. He came back and got in shape. I don't know why they just use him as a jobber for the main guys.

[B_MetalSucks]

Because Vince is all about abs. You guys know that. Show is not defined enough to be champ. I wish they book him as a monster again but Raw has to many guys who wouldn't agree to that. I'm looking at you hhh, cena, hbk.

[Ken Savage]

I wonder how much of a contract he has with the WWE. I know he is on good terms with Hogan and we could see another jump to TNA?

[Merriweather]

Big Show's body is completely shot, and has been since about 2004. He's been working with terrible knees and a horribly deteriorated back ever since. Plus, he's notoriously unreliable when it comes to maintaining his work ethic. He blew his prime years of 1999-2001 by being a completely unmotivated slob, despite being given the WWF title and a WM main event in his first year with the company.

BMetal, I don't think Cena has a problem working with Show. He's been beat down plenty enough by him.

[B_MetalSucks]

Cena will work with anyone I'm sure. But what I'm talking about is booking Show as a destroyer, like his early WCW stuff. Also name the last time show came out on top when feuding with Cena. Not one match, I mean coming out of the feud. Hasn't happened. Maybe that's due to his physical condition or laziness, either way you can only lose so many feuds in a row and still be salvageable main event wise.

[Merriweather]

I don't think Show's been salvagable as a main event guy since about 2002. I see your point, but they'dd be better off getting behind a new monster - say, Mike Knox - than continually trying to rebuild Show.

Besides, Show's great in his current role - the tag titles are the most interesting they've been like five years.

[Dr. Strange]

Jericho/Finlay was a great main event last night and reminded me of the better parts of old school wrestling. I would love to see more matches out of these two.

[Upgrayedd]

Big Show could be used much better than he currently is. Yes, he's got some problems but he should still be dominating.

[Anjin]

This talk of the giant monsters got me thinking about Big Van Vader. Whatever happened to him, anyway? Whose Cheerios did he piss in to get the sendoff he got? The last I remember of him, he lost a PPV match and they interviewed him on his way out of the ring where he was forced to say (I would assume he was forced) "I'm just a piece of shit!". Then he disappeared to Japan or something. Huh.

[John Ritter]

McMahon hated Vader with a passion. He was a fantastic wrestler, but not the kind of big man McMahon liked (Giant Gonzales, Andre the Giant, Great Khali...see a pattern?). There are those rumors that HBK wouldn't drop the title to him at SummerSlam 1996 (which was Vader's only big main event run in WWE) that I actually don't believe considering I don't think there's any way in hell McMahon would let him get that far.

[Headless Fett]

It's amazing to see how the WWE dropped the ball with Vader after how awesome he was in WCW. Those Sting vs. Vader matches are still some of my favorite Sting bouts ever. (Plus the fact that Harley Race is Vader's manager!)

[Hundred]

It sucks that Vader never got a big push in WWE, but I'm sure the fuckton of money he made in Japan makes up for it.

[Anjin]

..and Steph will be just like Vince when she and Trips take over. Sigh. I so wish the real ECW was still around.

God, can you imagine what Paul E. would have done with Vader had he gotten his filthy paws on him?

[Jason Hartman]

Originally Posted by Anjin

..and Steph will be just like Vince when she and Trips take over. Sigh. I so wish the real ECW was still around.

God, can you imagine what Paul E. would have done with Vader had he gotten his filthy paws on him?

Paid him with bad checks?

[Anjin]

Originally Posted by Jason Hartman

Paid him with bad checks?

Well, that too.

[Hundred]

I don't think Vader would have fit in ECW. He was better off in Japan.

[dajuice7]

Originally Posted by John Ritter

McMahon hated Vader with a passion. He was a fantastic wrestler, but not the kind of big man McMahon liked (Giant Gonzales, Andre the Giant, Great Khali...see a pattern?)

Never forget..

[Upgrayedd]

I was/still am such a huge mark for Hogan and Vader.

So they're giving away Jericho vs. The Undertaker on SmackDown! next week? If TNA was giving away a big PPV quality match like that on iMPACT! so many people would be complaining about the awful booking.

[Upgrayedd]

(Giant Gonzales, Andre the Giant, Great Khali...see a pattern?)

How could you include Andre The Giant in the same list as Giant Gonzales and The Great Khali?

[Wolff]

*edit* BTW, sorry to derail if I am

I haven't really watched wrestling since the whole Benoit tragedy but even still I find myself constantly checking up on it. I think it's the continuity that keeps me coming back. I want to see who is going to get to wear the same belt that the greats got to wear (or that same idea of a belt, now a hotwheels toy, at least) But now when I hear stories of old guys coming back like Hogan, although I'm hoping for everyone's sake he doesn't wrestle, or old guys that are still somehow wrestling like Taker or Michaels I feel this expanding pit in my stomach. Maybe it's not a result of Benoit as much as it is of the movie The Wrestler, or a mixture of both. Am I alone here? I want to make fun of Hogan for still looking like a raw tomato but then I think about the scene from The Wrestler where the Ram goes into the suntanning booth, slowly on his weak knees, and...

[Upgrayedd]

Speaking of Big Van Vader... you know those Classic Wrestling Figures that are out? I haven't bought any wrestling figures or collected them in a while. But right when I saw the Big Van Vader figure I bought it right there. It came with the mask and everything. I have it just sitting on a shelf in my room with some of my wrestling autographs displayed.

[John Ritter]

Andre's one of the greatest legends of the business, but couldn't work a lick by the time WrestleMania III came around. Much like Giant Gonzales and Khali.

[Martianman]

Originally Posted by Upgrayedd

Speaking of Big Van Vader... you know those Classic Wrestling Figures that are out? I haven't bought any wrestling figures or collected them in a while. But right when I saw the Big Van Vader figure I bought it right there. It came with the mask and everything. I have it just sitting on a shelf in my room with some of my wrestling autographs displayed.

One memory I have of Vader is in a match with Ric Flair, Vader clotheslined Flair (I think), and I swear, knocked one of Flair's teeth out. Flair fell down, looked around, felt the blood coming out of his mouth, got up and said, "You son of a bitch!" and started chest chopping the shit out of Vader.

Also one of the greatest moments of him and Foley (Vader powerbombing him on the concrete) led to one of the worst moments in WCW--Foley's "amnesia" adventures.

[Jcassady]

Originally Posted by Martianman

One memory I have of Vader is in a match with Ric Flair, Vader clotheslined Flair (I think), and I swear, knocked one of Flair's teeth out. Flair fell down, looked around, felt the blood coming out of his mouth, got up and said, "You son of a bitch!" and started chest chopping the shit out of Vader.

Also one of the greatest moments of him and Foley (Vader powerbombing him on the concrete) led to one of the worst moments in WCW--Foley's "amnesia" adventures.

Vader was also the guy wrestling Foley when Foley lost part of his ear.

[Upgrayedd]

Jericho vs. Undertaker was pretty cool. But why did they give it away on smackdown and not a PPV? When WCW used to do that shit all the "smart marks" bitched and moaned about how stupid it was. I remember on here when people would complain about TNA giving away a match like Sting vs. Kurt Angle on impact.

[Upgrayedd]

The two people I want to see Hogan put over in TNA are Joe and Matt Morgan.

One "dream match" I'd want to see would be Hogan vs. Foley.

[John Ritter]

Why on earth would you want Hogan/Foley? The only way for either man to have a passable match at this stage of their careers is for it to be pulled out of them by an HBK-caliber wrestler. The only "dream match" with Hogan that I'd want to see would involve him getting squashed by Steve Austin in ten seconds.

I'm so disappointed in Foley and Flair. Foley now stands against everything he stood for in the 90's while Flair ditches the perfect send-off he got to wrestle Hogan, a man he despises.

[Headless Fett]

This is what happens when Russo/Ferrera run unchecked:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn13PwaRQ6s


I predict that TNA will be dead inside of two years if not sooner.

[Upgrayedd]

Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe = match of the year. That was so fucking amazing. It was so old school. The triple threat match between A.J./Joe/Daniels was a different kind of match but also a match of the year. Turning Point was by far the best PPV I have seen from either TNA or the WWE this year.

[Headless Fett]

After watching Angle/Wolfe and the Unbreakable rematch between Joe/Styles/Daniels, which both delivered some of the best athletic professional wrestling I've seen on a TNA PPV in a long time. The big question to me is why does TNA need Hulk Hogan at all when they can produce solid wrestling bouts like these that speak for themselves? Screw Hulk Hogan indeed.

I really hope that TNA books the Angle/Wolfe feud with pure wrestling matches because these two are fantastic wrestlers and every time they step into the ring they don't disappoint. Shades of Malenko/Benoit here and I like it.

Hell, I'll be DVR'ing IMPACT! this week for the main event: Styles/Angle vs Desmond/Daniels.

Also, Turning Point's three way championship match will definitely be better than what the WWE will serving up next Sunday.

[Dr. Strange]

Kofi Kingston?!? Neat!

[Martianman]

Heh. From a Raw wrap-up posting on the site iFight365.com:

John Cena & Undertaker beat Chris Jericho & Big Show and HHH & Shawn Michaels. Cena cut one of his obnoxious cutesy promos before the match. The average age of these six Survivor Series headliners is 39 years old. That’s the average. They’re slowly morphing into the AWA.

[James May]

Originally Posted by Dr. Strange

Kofi Kingston?!? Neat!

That might have been one of those star making moments. I marked, along with MSG.

[Dr Vivisector]

Originally Posted by James May

That might have been one of those star making moments. I marked, along with MSG.

What did it for me was Orton selling the hit from the equipment locker lid. It wasn't a quick down and out. The eyes just glazed over and he faded out.

Yeah, mark this down. This is where Kofi took the next step up.

[Dr. Strange]

Not only that, I just couldn't believe how long they let it last. He was allowed to pretty much character assassinate Orton at will. I thought taking it to the crowd was a great touch and got the MSG crowd into it that much more. Also, classy but shortish MSG WWE History montage. Hopefully the RAW brand can build off of more moves such as this one although the DX/Horswaggle and Cena shenanigans lead me to believe otherwise. Piper was a wasted opportunity as well.

[Upgrayedd]

Did anyone else see Angle vs. Wolfe from the TNA PPV? Go youtube it. I watched it again last night. It's absolutely amazing. I'm wondering if Bischoff is running things in TNA right now. I know he was a huge fan of those exciting matches.

[John Ritter]

Bischoff and Hogan have nothing to do with TNA yet. They're down under for the Hulkamania tour right now.

Here's hoping Shawn superkicks Hunter's head off on Sunday in the Screwjob: Part 462.

[James May]

I'd guess the recent upswing in quality in TNA has more to do with the confusion in booking going on more than any leadership change.

[Martianman]

"We don't want to start any new angles before Hogan and Bischoff get here, so why don't you guys...I don't know...just wrestle or something."

[James May]

Originally Posted by Martianman

"We don't want to start any new angles before Hogan and Bischoff get here, so why don't you guys...I don't know...just wrestle or something."

Exactly. I'd love if it continued moving forward in this way, but I have enough experience with this company to know better. Prove me wrong TNA, prove me wrong.

[Upgrayedd]

iMPACT! looks pretty good tonight... at least on paper. I'm hoping they give the main event at least 20 minutes.

Even tomorrow nights SmackDown! looks pretty good. I've always been a mark for The Brothers Of Destruction so I can't wait to see them back together again.

[Frank The Tank]

I just saw Raw last night, and say what you will about the Main event scene on that show but what they are doing with Kofi and Orton is great. This is old school booking and star making right here. Kofi can work, is over with the crowd, and they are letting the fued simmer and hopefully we can get an epic WM match from these two. Someone in the back has rediscovered how to elevate a superstar without diminishing his opponent. Kudos to them.

Actually Raw was just plain good Monday. This may be the first week in years that Raw, Impact, and Smackdown actually deliver the goods in the same week.