Wrestling

[NDX]

Fans shouldn't interfere with anything.

I can understand fan participation at a wrestler's request, but this is just sad. As bad as baseball or soccer fans running in.

[Eric Draven]

I'm glad that Orton went ahead and kicked the guy's ass. It would've been much better if they had Batista just powerbomb the hell out of him though.

I really hate how fans have to interfere in some sporting event just to get their "15 minutes of fame". ****ing attention whores :rolleyes:

[NDX]

Reminds me of a time when a father/son group ran onto a baseball field and beat the **** out of a first base umpire before players interviened.

Good for Ortan working the ******* over. Hope the ****ing idiot was hurt. Dumb**** thing like that just makes me wonder.

[Eric Draven]

I remember that. I was actually hoping the players would kick the **** out of those two idiots with their cleats on. Try and inflict as much pain as possible :up:

Fans interfering can cause some serious injuries to wrestlers. I remember a few years back when SD was taping here. It featured a ladder match with Eddie Guerrero against someone (I don't really remember). IN the middle of the match, Eddie was climbing the ladder when all of a sudden, this one moron decided to jump into the ring and pushed the ladder, causing Eddie to fall. Just imagine if Eddie had fallen awkwardly or something like that...

[NDX]

Damn, I didn't even know about that one.

I only go to small indy venues, but the ones I've been to the only interaction with a has been the occassional passing of a chair to a wrestler (I still have that chair, too), nor have I read any issues with people interfering.

I have no idea what gets into people to have to get in the middle of **** like this.

[Eric Draven]

They do it for the attention. If they jump into the ring like a jackass and stir up some ****, they'll be on tv for sure.

[NDX]

Some make it on, others never do.

Someone during a Yankees/Blue Jays game ran on the field and dropped a white powder towards the end of the year, he was mentioned by the commentators but he never made television.

The guy jumped from the Lodge Tier seats onto the fencing at Yankee Stadium did, however.

But is potential jailtime for assualt and reckless endangerment worth a brief mention on the news?

[Hunter Rider]

So predict WM22's main events ?...yes im bored:(

[SLYspyder]

this is ridiculous. i can't believe ANYONE in their right mind is comparing the popularity of the Rock and Austin, even BEFORE the rock went off to do movies.

The rock has everything, he was the best with the mic and he was the most entertaining in the ring. he had me on my freakin feet everytime he came in the ring. the only time austin gets me on my feet is right after he does a stunner, he's got ONE move, that's his finisher, THATS IT! the rock has a whole arsenal of moves that ELECTRIFY the crowd and those watching at home.

don't get me started on the mic skills. the rock had me thinking sometimes about where he got his stuff from, i started wondering if writers were the ones coming up with that great material for him, but that's not the case, he's just too damn talented. i remember one time when the rock and jericho did a promo together a few years ago. they freakin replayed it on the "#1 hit music station" 's morning show the next day when i was driving to school, he's that damn good.

austin was great, but the Rock was better in every aspect. just look at the end product. the rock has catapulted into hollywood, what's austin doing? he's whining about jobing in a 4 ON FREAKIN 1 match. HE's NOT EVEN ON THE ROSTER!
like someone else said, the Rock jobs to anyone. he's professional about it, i haven't heard ONE person say that the Rock refused to job to anyone or whine, even though he's arguably the biggest star ever in the WWE.

IMO the Rock at his peak was just above Austin's peak and Hogan's peak, if he had stayed with the WWE, he'd have REALLY put both their peaks to shame.



on other matters, when the hell is angle gonna win the title already? this is like the 10th main event with Cena and Angle in the past few months. someone said the crowd wanted him to win? more info please, did they chant his name or something?

i think it's dumb the way people vote sometimes. they automatically vote for the faces in taboo tuesday and it pisses me the hell off. the wwe should be smarter and put only face options or heel options. i really wanted to see JBL and Christian go against Edge and Masters, perfect combo right there.

[Eklypze]

dude sly spider i agree with everything you just said

[punishermax]

this is ridiculous. i can't believe ANYONE in their right mind is comparing the popularity of the Rock and Austin, even BEFORE the rock went off to do movies.

The rock has everything, he was the best with the mic and he was the most entertaining in the ring. he had me on my freakin feet everytime he came in the ring. the only time austin gets me on my feet is right after he does a stunner, he's got ONE move, that's his finisher, THATS IT! the rock has a whole arsenal of moves that ELECTRIFY the crowd and those watching at home.

don't get me started on the mic skills. the rock had me thinking sometimes about where he got his stuff from, i started wondering if writers were the ones coming up with that great material for him, but that's not the case, he's just too damn talented. i remember one time when the rock and jericho did a promo together a few years ago. they freakin replayed it on the "#1 hit music station" 's morning show the next day when i was driving to school, he's that damn good.

austin was great, but the Rock was better in every aspect. just look at the end product. the rock has catapulted into hollywood, what's austin doing? he's whining about jobing in a 4 ON FREAKIN 1 match. HE's NOT EVEN ON THE ROSTER!
like someone else said, the Rock jobs to anyone. he's professional about it, i haven't heard ONE person say that the Rock refused to job to anyone or whine, even though he's arguably the biggest star ever in the WWE.

IMO the Rock at his peak was just above Austin's peak and Hogan's peak, if he had stayed with the WWE, he'd have REALLY put both their peaks to shame.

on other matters, when the hell is angle gonna win the title already? this is like the 10th main event with Cena and Angle in the past few months. someone said the crowd wanted him to win? more info please, did they chant his name or something?

i think it's dumb the way people vote sometimes. they automatically vote for the faces in taboo tuesday and it pisses me the hell off. the wwe should be smarter and put only face options or heel options. i really wanted to see JBL and Christian go against Edge and Masters, perfect combo right there.

So why is it that when I was high school during the "Boom" that I only saw NWO and Austin shirts, where were the Rock shirts? And now when I walk down the street I still see some people wearing Austin shirts, again where are the Rock shirts? I agree that the Rock was more talented, but man did he annoy me when he came back and still said his stupid catchphrases, (which Austin still does and that annoys me too) also you said electrifying moves, well I don't know about anyone else, but the "Peoples Elbow" was the most retarded finisher in wrestling.

[NDX]

Actually, I remember seeing more Dudley Boys tye dyes than Austin or nWo shirts during my tenure in high school.

[punishermax]

Actually, I remember seeing more Dudley Boys tye dyes than Austin or nWo shirts during my tenure in high school.

Really? I only knew of two people who watched ECW in my school, that was my friend Nathan who started watching when it came on TNN and myself, I started watching at the end of '96. The boom hit my school pretty hard as I'm sure it did most, but most of the people were pretty big WWE marks.

[NDX]

Well, the school was in New York City, so ECW was quite popular here. One of the kids I knew (who I would see dead today) then told me when to catch ECW on the MSG Network. Started watching it at 2 AM on Saturday evenings and taped every match I could. I still need to find those tapes.

ECW seemed more popular here then WWE/WCW, although WCW had its fanbase. I still have my nWo Red & Black hat.

[punishermax]

MSG, I remember is being on MSG. The first ECW show I watched, was a tag match, can't remember who wrestled, and the action spilled onto the floor and it was chaos, so the ref jumped up on the turnbuckle and splashed the wrestlers. It was the first time I had ever seen that, and I was hooked. How I miss old ECW. The New York deal would be understandable, I was stuck in the middle of Wisconsin, where I think ECW came to a couple times.

[3dman27]

Fans shouldn't interfere with anything.

I can understand fan participation at a wrestler's request, but this is just sad. As bad as baseball or soccer fans running in.
yeah if the cops get called in they could close down the whole show and the fans interfeierence could be considered ASSUALT for example the fan who knocked away a ladder eddie guirrerro was climbing :spidey:

[Twitch]

I remember that. I was actually hoping the players would kick the **** out of those two idiots with their cleats on. Try and inflict as much pain as possible :up:

Fans interfering can cause some serious injuries to wrestlers. I remember a few years back when SD was taping here. It featured a ladder match with Eddie Guerrero against someone (I don't really remember). IN the middle of the match, Eddie was climbing the ladder when all of a sudden, this one moron decided to jump into the ring and pushed the ladder, causing Eddie to fall. Just imagine if Eddie had fallen awkwardly or something like that...

http://ringinsider.com/wrestlingmedia/photos/gifs/ladderpush.gif

[Hunter Rider]

on other matters, when the hell is angle gonna win the title already? this is like the 10th main event with Cena and Angle in the past few months. someone said the crowd wanted him to win? more info please, did they chant his name or something?

.

Angle isn't gonna win the title,he is 3 and 0 against Cena,this is just a set up for Cena to beat him at Survivor Series.
I said the crowd wanted him to win and judging from the chants and pops he got during the match at TT i would say that was the case,especially given the amount of boos Cena got despite performing well

[Hunter Rider]

So why is it that when I was high school during the "Boom" that I only saw NWO and Austin shirts, where were the Rock shirts? And now when I walk down the street I still see some people wearing Austin shirts, again where are the Rock shirts? I agree that the Rock was more talented, but man did he annoy me when he came back and still said his stupid catchphrases, (which Austin still does and that annoys me too) also you said electrifying moves, well I don't know about anyone else, but the "Peoples Elbow" was the most retarded finisher in wrestling.
Definately agree on the peoples Elbow.

[Ultimate_Superman]

Have you seen him do it in person. I was at a house show in DC where he fought Triple H in a steel cage match and let me tell you on TV it may look silly but when you see that and The Rock bottom in person it is something along with Triple H finsher that man jumps as high as the second rope when doing that move. Though me and my friends where really the oly ones cheering for The Game because well he is the best IMO.

[Colossal Spoons]

Wait! The People's Elbow is a pretty dumb finisher but not the most worst...be far.

The Worm - Scooty 2 Hotty
The 5 Knuckle Shuffle and F5 - John Cena
The Big Boot and Legdrop - Hulk Hogan YEAH, I SAID IT
The Ghetto Blaster - Bad News Brown
Close Curtain - Big Show
Sidewalk Slam - Big Boss Man
Downward Spiral - Edge
619 - Rey Mysterio
Money Shot - Val Venis

and the best one.....

DDT - Jake the Snake Roberts

[Hunter Rider]

Wait! The People's Elbow is a pretty dumb finisher but not the most worst...be far.


Close Curtain - Big Show
Sidewalk Slam - Big Boss Man
Downward Spiral - Edge

Money Shot - Val Venis

I dont see what is cheesey about these moves:confused:

and the best one.....

DDT - Jake the Snake Roberts



I take you mean this is one of the best finishers ever not one of the worst ?:)

[Ultimate_Superman]

The best finsher move ever is a move banned The Vertebreaker

[punishermax]

The best finsher move ever is a move banned The Vertebreaker

It is one of the best.

[Ultimate_Superman]

I would love to see some one get up from that.

[Keyser Soze]

I don't get all this Rock VS Austin conflict? Can't we just except that both were great, both defined an era, and both are far better than John Cena could ever hope of being?

Personally, speaking, I was a Rock fan. But Austin was great as well. What was important was that when they came down to the ring, either one of them, the whole crowd went wild. They were phenomenal, everybody loved them. And most importantly, it was the fans (and their own talent) that made them stars, not the McMahons shoving them down our throats.

Now look at John Cena. He's a perfect example of someone being shoved down fans' throats. I think when half your crowd is booing a guy, and actually cheering the heel, that you should serously reconsider building the company around said babyface. WWE is trying to make him the next Rock or Austin, but he's nowhere near as good as them. He isn't even the next Hulk Hogan - he may have always stunk in the ring, but he had the charisma to get a crowd behind him. No, John Cena is the new Lex Luger, circa 1995...

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Wait! The People's Elbow is a pretty dumb finisher but not the most worst...be far.

The Worm - Scooty 2 Hotty
The 5 Knuckle Shuffle and F5 - John Cena
The Big Boot and Legdrop - Hulk Hogan YEAH, I SAID IT
The Ghetto Blaster - Bad News Brown
Close Curtain - Big Show
Sidewalk Slam - Big Boss Man
Downward Spiral - Edge
619 - Rey Mysterio
Money Shot - Val Venis

and the best one.....

DDT - Jake the Snake Roberts

John Cena does the FU, not the F5....that would be Brock Lesnar.

[The Batman]

I've got no problem with Rock. But people here like to bring Austin down, and we just cant have that, not when Austin has had just as memorable matches, just as good, but different skills.

[The Batman]

Wait! The People's Elbow is a pretty dumb finisher but not the most worst...be far.

The Worm - Scooty 2 Hotty
The 5 Knuckle Shuffle and F5 - John Cena
The Big Boot and Legdrop - Hulk Hogan YEAH, I SAID IT
The Ghetto Blaster - Bad News Brown
Close Curtain - Big Show
Sidewalk Slam - Big Boss Man
Downward Spiral - Edge
619 - Rey Mysterio
Money Shot - Val Venis

and the best one.....

DDT - Jake the Snake Roberts\

Now i can tell you probably havent seen a match before 95.

Jake the snake Roberts DDT was considered one of the most dangerous moves back in the day. Undertaker got props for gettng DDT'd three times, and still managing to get up. This was before every wrestler started using it and the specialty of the move diminshed. the DDT was pretty much the equivalent of a stunner back then.

[Hunter Rider]

I've got no problem with Rock. But people here like to bring Austin down, and we just cant have that, not when Austin has had just as memorable matches, just as good, but different skills.

I think the real argument in here was b/c it was being made out as if he is saint Austin and not just a selfish as the other guys that get ragged on all the time

As for skills i guess that's in the eye of the beholder

[Hunter Rider]

\

Now i can tell you probably havent seen a match before 95.

Jake the snake Roberts DDT was considered one of the most dangerous moves back in the day. Undertaker got props for gettng DDT'd three times, and still managing to get up. This was before every wrestler started using it and the specialty of the move diminshed. the DDT was pretty much the equivalent of a stunner back then.

:up: :up:

the DDT was the first of those snap out of the blue instant KO finishers that paved the way for moves like the Stunner and the endless reworked version's of the Diamond cutter

[Keyser Soze]

And in terms of lame-ass finishers, The Ultimate Warrior has to take the cake. He picked them up in a gorilla press, dropped them, ran from rope to rope, then just jumped on them. And this was made out to be the most devastating manouveur in the history of wrestling.

[The Batman]

The only two finishers i like from the classic period are the DDT and the Tombstone Piledriver.

[Hunter Rider]

The only two finishers i like from the classic period are the DDT and the Tombstone Piledriver.
I like the Sharpshooter and the Prefect Plex as well,plus the rude awakening was great until like the DDT everyone started using it

[The Batman]

I like the Sharpshooter and the Prefect Plex as well,plus the rude awakening was great until like the DDT everyone started using it


Oh, i completely forgot about the sharpshooter. Thats the thing about submissions too. Everyone had the freaking sleeper. Cobra Clutch? basicaly a sleeper. Million Dollar Dream? Sleeper.

[Hunter Rider]

Oh, i completely forgot about the sharpshooter. Thats the thing about submissions too. Everyone had the freaking sleeper. Cobra Clutch? basicaly a sleeper. Million Dollar Dream? Sleeper.

yeah i think the variety in moves has improved in recent times,
Of the submission moves that have been around i think Benoit's crossface is the best,i like the way he can snap it on instantly out of any counter,it gives a more spontaneous feel to it than many submissions

[The Batman]

The Crossface is pretty neat. I also like Angle's new Anklelock, and for some reason, i like the Masterlock, though its probably overrated

[Eric Draven]

Definately agree on the peoples Elbow.

I remember the first time I saw the Rock use the People's Elbow. I swear, I almost pissed my pants laughing. I'm not really a huge fan of those finishers as well (ie The Worm, the Five KNuckle Shuffle, etc) because it requires the opponent to lie still for like 20 minutes while the wrestler goes through their spiel :mad:

[Keyser Soze]

You have to remember the context of The People's Elbow though. The Rock first used it when he was a heel. It was a tool he used to annoy the fans. He has this awful move, but calls it "The Most Electrifying Move In Sports Entertainment". It was only when he turned face that people went wild for it, and it started being taken as a genuine finisher.

[Eric Draven]

Oh, and another finisher that wasn't mentioned in that list but is just as bad was Road Dogg's Shake,Rattle and Roll. But then again, Road Dogg was never much of a good wrestler in the first place....

[Hunter Rider]

Truthfully i don't remember The Rock pinning many ppl with the Peoples Elbow

it was more of a mid match move most of the time after 99

[Hunter Rider]

I remember the first time I saw the Rock use the People's Elbow. I swear, I almost pissed my pants laughing. I'm not really a huge fan of those finishers as well (ie The Worm, the Five KNuckle Shuffle, etc) because it requires the opponent to lie still for like 20 minutes while the wrestler goes through their spiel :mad:

I hated the worm cos Scotty 2 hotty sucked in general and good wrestlers had to sell it like fools,
Cena needs to drop the five knuckle shuffle,at least the Rock looked good doing the peoples Elbow,Cena looks like a spaz

[Eric Draven]

I hated the worm cos Scotty 2 hotty sucked in general and good wrestlers had to sell it like fools,
Cena needs to drop the five knuckle shuffle,at least the Rock looked good doing the peoples Elbow,Cena looks like a spaz

I agree, I hated it when he started using the five knuckle shuffle. Then he started to add even more stuff to the build-up and it just got annoying as hell.

[Hunter Rider]

I agree, I hated it when he started using the five knuckle shuffle. Then he started to add even more stuff to the build-up and it just got annoying as hell.

yeah,he also sometimes mimics the opponents poses when doing it a bit like Rock used to do
It's a shame Cena has so much heat right now as he has really imporved IMO and he was great in the triple threat and held his own well with two of the greats

[Hunter Rider]

Credit: PWInsider.com, Wrestling Observer Newsletter

- Word is going around that WWE is trying to squash the leaks that provide news to newsletters and websites like these. Right now the word is that wrestlers and other WWE staff shouldn't even have their cell phones or Blackberries on backstage.

from WWE.com:

Bret's Back

Former WWE Champion Bret "Hit Man" Hart has not appeared live on WWE programming since the controversial "Montreal Incident" in November 1997.

That long drought will finally come to an end when "The Excellence of Execution" appears live in the Byte This! studio in two weeks (Nov. 16). With the release of his highly anticipated DVD on Nov. 15, there's no telling what the Hit Man will have to say.

Don't miss this truly historic Byte This!

[Hunter Rider]

Source: WrestlingObserver.com, PWInsider.com

-- WWE and USA sources reportedly worked hard to prevent this week's RAW rating from making it to the media. The 3.4 rating, especially considering the advertising for Steve Austin, was considered terrible and proof that WWE - not its network home - is responsible for the declining ratings.

- As has been reported, many within the industry are keeping a close eye on the status of Paul Heyman's WWE contract, which comes to an end this year. Even though Heyman fell out of favor with Stephanie McMahon, his work in Ohio Valley Wrestling and potential to significantly assist TNA might provide motivation for WWE to keep him around.

[Mister J]

I'm still fuming about the way this whole Austin thing fell apart. They wanted him to lose to Coach clean?!? WTF! I'd have told them to go to hell too. Just as I thought wrestling was on the way back up (after that great Homecoming), the last few weeks have me more convinced than ever that the glory days of the late 90's/early 00's(?) are over.

[punishermax]

Meh, homecoming wasn't that great, in fact Raw has sucked for a while, although Taboo Tuesday was pretty good, Smackdown is getting better.

[Mister J]

I liked Homecoming mostly (OK, entirely) because of the 'special' appearances). RAW has sucked...and continues to do so. I did think I saw a possible upswing, but everytime it looks to be getting good, it goes to crap again. There's just no real direction, no lingering story. Everything is done and over in 3 weeks or so stupid you just don't care.

[Sabretooth]

yeah,he also sometimes mimics the opponents poses when doing it a bit like Rock used to do
It's a shame Cena has so much heat right now as he has really imporved IMO and he was great in the triple threat and held his own well with two of the greats
Sometimes I question the WWE fans.They go absolutely ape**** for people like Batista,who thinks he's working as hard as people like HHH and Undertaker because he does a clothesline,a powerbomb,and a spinebuster.And then they boo Cena even though he's at least trying,which is more than what Batista can say.


And before any Batista fans get on me for that,please don't.I was just comparing Cena to someone else.I myself actually like Batista on the mic,but that's it.

[Eric Draven]

I think it has a lot to do with the character. Cena's character is still pretty lame, he's a bit different from the character that initially was over as hell with the crowd. Batista at least is still playing a similar character to what he was that got him over with the fans.....

[Not Jake]

Just to drop in something, I hate how everyone either wears a classy suit or is a hardcore rocker. Where are the fun gimmicks:(

[Eric Draven]

Here you go:

http://www.headlineplanet.com/boogeyman.jpg

:confused: :)

[NDX]

Now I have the urge to squeeze a toy rubber heart.

[punishermax]

I think it has a lot to do with the character. Cena's character is still pretty lame, he's a bit different from the character that initially was over as hell with the crowd. Batista at least is still playing a similar character to what he was that got him over with the fans.....

Yeah, I think the main reason Batista is over is because hes the huge badass looking muscular guy. He's the overpowering beast, sort of like Goldberg, only built better, and hasn't ended anyone career yet. Plus I think the reason a lot of people have soured on Cena is because he lost his edge, he has turned into the babyface pussy. He is trying, but trying is a long way from being good.

[3dman27]

Just to drop in something, I hate how everyone either wears a classy suit or is a hardcore rocker. Where are the fun gimmicks:(
they had hurricane and rosey mighty molly and super stacy those were fun gimmicks
but as we all know all vince the wince wants are the steroid boys :spidey: :thing:

[Hunter Rider]

I think it has a lot to do with the character. Cena's character is still pretty lame, he's a bit different from the character that initially was over as hell with the crowd. Batista at least is still playing a similar character to what he was that got him over with the fans.....

The thing with Cena is he isn't himself,he is a forced hybrid attempt at combining The Rock and Austin and hasn't earned his spot

With the Rock he was just so naturally charismatic and talented that he couldn't be anything but a main eventer,the ring version of him was just his personality turned up to 11

With Austin he was a force of nature and the anti-authority badass was part of who he really was,his anger that was onscreen came from the real experience of being crapped on by promoters

Cena hasn't earned his spot,his build to being champ was pathetic with only one big win and he can't really portray anti authority given he has everything on a silver platter

like Abdullah told Foley "the guys that live their gimmick are the ones that succeed at the top"

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Yeah, I think the main reason Batista is over is because hes the huge badass looking muscular guy. He's the overpowering beast, sort of like Goldberg, only built better, and hasn't ended anyone career yet. Plus I think the reason a lot of people have soured on Cena is because he lost his edge, he has turned into the babyface pussy. He is trying, but trying is a long way from being good.

I agree with you. It's not often that we have a face, or a champ that is built like Batista who is a physically intimidating guy. When the fued with HHH was building I kept thinking "when is the last time HHH faced someone who was BIGGER than him??". I LOVED when Batista shoved that point in his face, he said something along the lines of "I'm bigger, stronger and I want it more" I stood up and cheered because it was so true.

I'll also never forget when Batista picked up HHH and powerbomb him thru that table, when is the last time ANYONE was able to man handle HHH like that? that's the beauty of Batista, he's a monster....or "The Animal".

[Hunter Rider]

I agree with you. It's not often that we have a face, or a champ that is built like Batista who is a physically intimidating guy. When the fued with HHH was building I kept thinking "when is the last time HHH faced someone who was BIGGER than him??". I LOVED when Batista shoved that point in his face, he said something along the lines of "I'm bigger, stronger and I want it more" I stood up and cheered because it was so true.

I'll also never forget when Batista picked up HHH and powerbomb him thru that table, when is the last time ANYONE was able to man handle HHH like that? that's the beauty of Batista, he's a monster....or "The Animal".

I agree on the part prior to WM21 but he has not improved and stagnated since then IMO,
He isnt really very good at working a match even with Eddie he couldn't raise his level,i think Cena has improved a lot since WM21 and that's most likely cos he has much better mobility and is young so he can improve

I think both brands need new champions though to liven them up

[Ultimate_Superman]

http://media.putfile.com/Triple-H-Sonnin

[Hunter Rider]

http://media.putfile.com/Triple-H-Sonnin

LOL:D

[Keyser Soze]

I'm still fuming about the way this whole Austin thing fell apart. They wanted him to lose to Coach clean?!? WTF! I'd have told them to go to hell too. Just as I thought wrestling was on the way back up (after that great Homecoming), the last few weeks have me more convinced than ever that the glory days of the late 90's/early 00's(?) are over.

There's still great wrestling out there. Just not in WWE. They have great wrestlers like Angle and Benoit, and therefore can have the occasional good match. But the product as a whole is on a downward spiral, with many of the stories and angles coming across as pathetic, unfunny jokes.

But look elsewhere. TNA, for example. They are improving just as rapidly as WWE is deteriorating. They have genuinely talented wrestlers, and storylines that actually relate to WRESTLING rather than being bloated melodramas written by washed-up sitcom writers. And on top of that you have a hot indy scene, with ROH being the standout promotion.

I honestly see WWE as being in the same situation it was in 1995. Stale, repetitive product, lame-ass storylines, a weak flagship face (John Cena is the 2005 equivalent on Lex Luger) and a consistently-disappointed fanbase. And in this position, TNA is taking on the role of WCW, slowly building up its roster, trying to gain credibility with the WWE crowd. If the trend continues, I expect major changes in the pro wrestling world by this time next year.

I was around to see it happen last time. I know the warning signs...

[Ultimate_Superman]

LOL:Dhttp://images.ibsys.com/2003/1028/2588142.jpg Thats why Triple H is the man:mad::up:

[0neDisturbedSOB]

I agree on the part prior to WM21 but he has not improved and stagnated since then IMO,
He isnt really very good at working a match even with Eddie he couldn't raise his level,i think Cena has improved a lot since WM21 and that's most likely cos he has much better mobility and is young so he can improve

I think both brands need new champions though to liven them up

I just don't understand why they feel the need to strip the characteristics that got Batista noticed in the first place....his size, power and intensity. Sure he's still big and strong, but when he originally came out he was intense and spoke very little...his actions spoke for him.

Even his theme music has gone down. His original theme was AWESOME, it reminded me of a semi-horror move theme with that hi-pitched guitar riff repeating over and over, and now they've just found another way to place a rock song into someone's entrance.

I just had how the standard practice for creating a face has become to model them after Austin or Rock, or worse yet...both. Austin became hugely popular because he defied authority, Rock became hugely popular because of his humor....niether of them became famous by mixing the two and that seems to be what the current champs are doing, it just doesn't work.

I like Batista and I like Cena, but their characters are pretty much the same and it doesn't work. Let them go back to what brought them fame and stop forcing them to be something they're not.

[Colossal Spoons]

I agree with you. It's not often that we have a face, or a champ that is built like Batista who is a physically intimidating guy. When the fued with HHH was building I kept thinking "when is the last time HHH faced someone who was BIGGER than him??". I LOVED when Batista shoved that point in his face, he said something along the lines of "I'm bigger, stronger and I want it more" I stood up and cheered because it was so true.

I'll also never forget when Batista picked up HHH and powerbomb him thru that table, when is the last time ANYONE was able to man handle HHH like that? that's the beauty of Batista, he's a monster....or "The Animal".

Hehe, sounds like something I would say. Cuz I am THE Batista fanman. :up:

I don't want Batista to go too far back in his WWE history cuz I HATED Deacon Batista; when he was with D-Von during the preacher gimmick. The silent monster of Evolution was a lot better, but I have high hopes for his mic skills and in-ring charisma.

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Deacon Batista was terrible, but the silent monster was PERFECT. It's like Lesnar, he was AWESOME when he first appeared, I'll never forget when the Hardyz hit him right in the face with a chair and he didn't even flinch....but the minute he opened his mouth I lost interest.

I like Batista a lot, but the friendship angle with Eddie is terrible...I hate the joking, fun loving champs, I want some intensity.

[Hunter Rider]

Deacon Batista was terrible, but the silent monster was PERFECT. It's like Lesnar, he was AWESOME when he first appeared, I'll never forget when the Hardyz hit him right in the face with a chair and he didn't even flinch....but the minute he opened his mouth I lost interest.

I like Batista a lot, but the friendship angle with Eddie is terrible...I hate the joking, fun loving champs, I want some intensity.
I was a bigger fan of Lesnar as i like in ring performance to match the intensity
I think with Batista they felt he was to inacessible thats why he lightened up,and strangely whilst i personally would like a new champ altogether Batista seems to be getting bigger pops than ever

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Batista is WAY more over than Cena now, only one who doesn't see it is Vince.

Personally I couldn't stand Lesnar after he started talking, and his face run was a total joke. Batista is in MUCH better shape than Lesnar and to me is a lot more physically intimidating. I think he is improving, but guys like that have a limited amount of moves in their arsenal...it is what it is.

I think Orton is showing a lot of promise as a heel....I'd love to see a REAL fued between Orton and Batista.

[Hunter Rider]

Batista is WAY more over than Cena now, only one who doesn't see it is Vince.

Personally I couldn't stand Lesnar after he started talking, and his face run was a total joke. Batista is in MUCH better shape than Lesnar and to me is a lot more physically intimidating. I think he is improving, but guys like that have a limited amount of moves in their arsenal...it is what it is.

I think Orton is showing a lot of promise as a heel....I'd love to see a REAL fued between Orton and Batista.

Well with Batista he has the most ripped physique Ive seen but Lesnar was cat like for his size and a good technical wrestler so i enjoyed his matches where Batista's i find boring and repetitive

If he feuded with Orton it would be perfect for him cos Orton is a good seller but i really don't like Orton's dad being with him or the way they keep making him act like a coward with Taker,i'm also worried Taker is gonna pull rank at Survivor Series and go over

I think WWE push Cena harder because he is improving and he has more mainstream potential than Batista plus he is 14 years younger

[Sarge 2.0]

Aww, this thread is civil again. :)

*feels the love*

[Hunter Rider]

Aww, this thread is civil again. :)

*feels the love*

Me and ODSOB are buds now.....i think:confused: http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Yeah I hate how the standard roles have become where the face has to be the fun loving, jokster and the heel always has to be the coward. For once I want to see a heel who can kick someone's ass without cheating. Batista was great as a heel because he could destroy his opponents without having to use a chair. I recall where he was tagging with Orton during the "Evolution" days, and Orton went to hand him a chair to use on their opponent (can't remember who). Batista gave him a look like "I don't need that" and just completely leveled the guy....THAT'S what I want to see.

I liked Austin because in the beginning he would come out, kick ass and leave. I also liked how he was a no BS guy...no fireworks, no special FX, just the music and that's it...you knew he wasn't the type of guy who was going to f**k around.

Ah the good old days...

[Hunter Rider]

Yeah I hate how the standard roles have become where the face has to be the fun loving, jokster and the heel always has to be the coward. For once I want to see a heel who can kick someone's ass without cheating. Batista was great as a heel because he could destroy his opponents without having to use a chair. I recall where he was tagging with Orton during the "Evolution" days, and Orton went to hand him a chair to use on their opponent (can't remember who). Batista gave him a look like "I don't need that" and just completely leveled the guy....THAT'S what I want to see.

I liked Austin because in the beginning he would come out, kick ass and leave. I also liked how he was a no BS guy...no fireworks, no special FX, just the music and that's it...you knew he wasn't the type of guy who was going to f**k around.

Ah the good old days...

Agreed,Mick Foley said it in his book ,the heel is much more interesting and a threat to the champ when he isn't afraid,it makes the match better ,that's why i love Angle's heel role,he isnt a pussy, he kicks ass and beats Faces like HBk and Shelton b/c he is that good which just makes him more of an interesting character IMO
Benoit was another good example of that and at times HHH

[0neDisturbedSOB]

That match with Batista refusing to use the chair actually gave me hope. I remember thinking "wait, a heel that isn't a complete pussy??". Batista was good as a heel, and his slow rise to the top (over HHH and Orton) was great. I like how he was in the middle of the Orton/HHH fued and ended up as the top guy.

Batista is a good character, I just wish he'd lose some of the humor and raise the intensity.

[citizenpain]

i wish lesnar would come back and destroy batista. along with half of the other wanna-be huge monsta guys (snitsky, tomko, etc).

did anybody see the tna impact 2 hour special last night? it was pretty good and i enjoyed it from start to end, actually.

[Colossal Spoons]

Lesnar/Batista would be a great match but I doubt anybody would get "destroyed". They were both in the ring for literally 2 seconds during a Royal Rumble a few years back but Batista got tossed out before they could "introduce themselves".

Batista - 6'5" 297lbs

Brock - 6'4" 295

I'm actually looking forward to seeing what happens when Batista and Lashley cross paths. They're two huge men on the same show, them bumping heads is inevitable.

[Eric Draven]

That match with Batista refusing to use the chair actually gave me hope. I remember thinking "wait, a heel that isn't a complete pussy??". Batista was good as a heel, and his slow rise to the top (over HHH and Orton) was great. I like how he was in the middle of the Orton/HHH fued and ended up as the top guy.

Batista is a good character, I just wish he'd lose some of the humor and raise the intensity.

That might happen if/when Eddie turns on him....

[Sabretooth]

Most of the humor is coming from this storyline with Eddie.I think he may make an occasional joke every now and then,which isn't bad.I'd rather that than a champion who doesn't even speak.

[Mister J]

I like Batista as a character (he could lose some of his humor, though). However, I'd be worried that a Lesnar/Batista match might end up like the WMXX Goldberg/Lesnar match...and that was not good...until Austin stunned them both.:)

Also put me in the camp that hates cowardly heels (Guerrero and Jericho excluded)

[Hunter Rider]

I like Batista as a character (he could lose some of his humor, though). However, I'd be worried that a Lesnar/Batista match might end up like the WMXX Goldberg/Lesnar match...and that was not good...until Austin stunned them both.:)

Also put me in the camp that hates cowardly heels (Guerrero and Jericho excluded)

The difference with that match is both were leaving immediately afterwards so they put no effort in,with a Batista/Lesnar match it should be different

[Sabretooth]

The problem with the Goldberg/Lesnar match was that everybody knew they were both leaving after WMXX,and everybody just didn't care after that.

[Sabretooth]

The difference with that match is both were leaving immediately afterwards so they put no effort in,with a Batista/Lesnar match it should be different
Damn.:mad: ;)

[Hunter Rider]

Damn.:mad: ;)

:eek: Snaphttp://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Mister J]

The difference with that match is both were leaving immediately afterwards so they put no effort in,with a Batista/Lesnar match it should be different

Agreed, to an extent. I would hope that if Brock ever does come back and gets a match with Davey B., they'd go over a good routine beforehand to at least know each other. Matching up two power guys is a tricky deal.

[Eklypze]

yeah man that match with goldberg and lesnar was one of the dumbest matches ive ever seen

[Eric Draven]

Agreed, to an extent. I would hope that if Brock ever does come back and gets a match with Davey B., they'd go over a good routine beforehand to at least know each other. Matching up two power guys is a tricky deal.

If those two ever fight each other, it's practically guaranteed that they'll make Batista look like the stronger of the two......

[Hunter Rider]

Most of the humor is coming from this storyline with Eddie.I think he may make an occasional joke every now and then,which isn't bad.I'd rather that than a champion who doesn't even speak.

the real problem with the Batista/Eddie feud is that Batista needs a certain type of opponent to look any good,he isnt a guy that can wrestle anyone and although Eddie is talented his shortness makes Batista look more cumbersome than ever,a guy like him with limited mobility needs a more athletic big man to provide a good size bumping target,guys like Orton,Taker,Booker and Perhaps Kennedy would be best with him

[Colossal Spoons]

yeah man that match with goldberg and lesnar was one of the dumbest matches ive ever seen

I've never seen two more stubborn men fight. That match consisted of finishers and set-up moves. Neither man sold the other's moves and the crowd let them know how unsatisfied they were.

[Colossal Spoons]

About the finishers 2 pages back:

Jake's DDT may have been groundbreaking back then but I was using today's standards. Who doesn't do some new, twisted variation of a DDT these days?

BBM's Sidewalk Slam was a joke. The modified version that Kane does now is 100x better.

[NDX]

I actually like the cowardly heel if it's done correctly (Chris Candido comes to mind when thinking of this), but the way they are doing it with Orton just doesn't fly. This would be different in 1997/8 when Undertaker was intimidating because of his in-ring dominance and persona, not the theatrics used today. Then, people were afraid of what 'Taker could legitimately do to a person. Now, it looks like a bad horror movie by Roger Corman.

R. Orton has the heel character down. I always felt he was better as a heel (same with Cena) and his face turn just brough about bad promos. But this current character has not been helped with Bob Orton's constant pressence. Hopefully, with the end of the Orton/'Taker feud will come a good story for Orton and an extended vacation from the Deadman... again.

[Mister J]

Orton as a face was pretty bad. He does the stuff to make a much better heel. Howevre, I am thoroughly sick of this 'Legend Killer' crap. Too much cowardly behavior for me to buy it. Stop having your Daddy help you win. (It is damn good to see Ace Orton though)

[punishermax]

MMMMMMIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSTTTTTTTEEEEEERRRRRRR.....KKK KKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDYY YYYYYY!!!!!..........................KKKEEENNNEEDD YY!!!

Give this man the title. :up:

[Colossal Spoons]

I don't like the "cowardly heel" either. I prefer a heel who's utterly disrespectful. The reason I liekd JBL as a heel so much is probably because he reminded me of Rick Rude. NOBODY was as disrespectful as Ravishing Rick Rude. The Rock could have been as good if he made fun of the crowd more.

[NDX]

If Rock acted like Rick Rude I'd probably enjoy his matches more. Rude was a lot of fun to watch, still is when it comes to old tapes.

[GLfan]

MMMMMMIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSTTTTTTTEEEEEERRRRRRR.....KKK KKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDYY YYYYYY!!!!!..........................KKKEEENNNEEDD YY!!!

Give this man the title. :up:
These kinds of heels are annoying to watch, that's why I quit watching Smackdown, I hate the heels that are so full of themselves. After awhile I got tired of seeing the Rock, as he came across as being conceited. Here's some news:

Chris Benoit's contract with WWE expires in three weeks and he is getting a lowball figure like Christian did with his contract. The contract offer is for half of what he is making now. There is no word yet on whether he'll take it or not.


Tajiri has nixed his plans of going to Japan as he has re-signed with WWE for two or three more years.


The Smackdown pay-per-view "WWE No Mercy" headlined by Batista and Eddie Guerrero garnered about 195,000 buys on early estimates. WWE had internally feared that it would do under 200,000 buys. I believe this is the lowest buyrate for a WWE pay-per-view this year.

[Hunter Rider]

I like Mr Kennedy,he's one of the few to come up from OVW that can actually work in the ring as well as a have a character
He needs to be careful though,a gimmick like his can become repetitive real easy,he needs to broaden his verbage to keep fresh



Chris Benoit's contract with WWE expires in three weeks and he is getting a lowball figure like Christian did with his contract. The contract offer is for half of what he is making now. There is no word yet on whether he'll take it or not.

Dumbest decision ever if WWE lose Benoit





The Smackdown pay-per-view "WWE No Mercy" headlined by Batista and Eddie Guerrero garnered about 195,000 buys on early estimates. WWE had internally feared that it would do under 200,000 buys. I believe this is the lowest buyrate for a WWE pay-per-view this year.
No surprises there,it was the worst PPV of the year bar GAB and the Eddie/Batista Main event sucked,we dn't need a rematch IMO

[Hunter Rider]

Source: PWTorch

Commentary duo Michael Cole and Tazz where recently found sitting in a rental car in the parking lot together after a WWE production team member had searched to entire backstage area for them.

With regards to Vince McMahon's current attitude towards his product, one source close to WWE had the following to say: "Vince doesn't want to be just a wrestling promoter. He wants to be bigger than that. I don't know that he truly enjoys the wrestling business anymore. He wants to make movies, record labels, and other TV shows. It's starting to show in his awareness of the flaws in the wrestling product. He's not paying attention to the wrestling fans anymore."

[3dman27]

why were they in the parking lot?

[Hunter Rider]

why were they in the parking lot?

Indeed

[LastSunrise1981]

Source: PWTorch

Commentary duo Michael Cole and Tazz where recently found sitting in a rental car in the parking lot together after a WWE production team member had searched to entire backstage area for them.

With regards to Vince McMahon's current attitude towards his product, one source close to WWE had the following to say: "Vince doesn't want to be just a wrestling promoter. He wants to be bigger than that. I don't know that he truly enjoys the wrestling business anymore. He wants to make movies, record labels, and other TV shows. It's starting to show in his awareness of the flaws in the wrestling product. He's not paying attention to the wrestling fans anymore."

They're just now realizing that Vince doesn't care about the fans? :p

He should give the business to Shane and let Shane run it, since he has an idea of what the fans desire and how to utilize talent.

[Hunter Rider]

- Joey Styles is slated to be working commentary for RAW over the next two weeks. His long-term status is still uncertain at this point. WWE appears to be interested in bringing Styles in full-time. Styles, however, has an excellent career outside of Sports Entertainment, and has stated that Vince McMahon would have to make a "strong offer" to entice him to sign.

- We had previously reported here on the site, that within the last few months, Christian was at a high state of frustration with his push, especially after the move to SmackDown. Many feel that Christian did exactly what WWE management asks of it's talent, and that is to get themseleves over with the fans, rather then waiting for the creative team or Vince McMahon to give them the ball. Even though Christian did this, it almost worked against him since he got over without it being a part of the creative team's plans for his character, and thus the push was stoped seeing how creative couldn't take the credit for the push, nor could they find a way to deal with the explosion in his popularity with the fans. The final injustice to Christian came when his contract expired. He was offered a new contract, but it was a huge paycut. His last WWE contract paid a downside guarantee around $200,000, but by staying healthy and working a full-time schedule, he would of earned around 400,000 last year. When his contract was up, the new offer was said to be a "low ball, take it or leave it" offer, and that offer was roughly half of what his previous contract was. Although this was a disapointment, the other problem that stood out was the fact that there were still no signs he would have any chance of reaching the upper card level on Smackdown, and thus he decided to walk away. Right now Christian's future in wrestling is unclear. If he does end up negotiating with TNA, he would probably be offered something along the lines of $2,000 per week, which is about what Matt Hardy was offered. The bonuses of the TNA contract are that he would only have to work four events per month rather than 12-15, and Christian also happens to reside in Florida, which would obviously reduce his travel schedule dramatically. Although Christian has left the WWE on good terms, if he were to sign with TNA, many say that Vince McMahon and co. could see it as a sign of betrayal, which could hurt his chances of a WWE return down the road. (PWTorch)

[Sarge 2.0]

Source: PWTorch

Commentary duo Michael Cole and Tazz where recently found sitting in a rental car in the parking lot together after a WWE production team member had searched to entire backstage area for them.
Wait...what the hell? :confused:

[Mike_D]

I dont watch WWE(F) as much as I used to now...nobody has originality or interesting characters. They all got "the rock" thing goin on. No masks, no face paint...its like watching your high school *******s fight over women.

[3dman27]

mike d my advice to you is to watch total nonstop action wrestlin IMPACT on spike tv saturday nights 11 pm to 12 am
its not on tonight due to a ufc marathon but the 2 hr. special shown las thursday should reair monday night [when it usually reairs btw] at 11 pm

[White_Howling]

Christian GONE!!! now thats freaking sad...

[PyroChamber]

For anyone who watches WWE, what do you think would be the last straw that would make you totally quit watching WWE wrestling for good?

[White_Howling]

what their doing now.. stopped me from watching.. i just read the reviews on the hype or on wwe.com.

[3dman27]

mike d my advice to you is to watch total nonstop action wrestlin IMPACT on spike tv saturday nights 11 pm to 12 am
its not on tonight due to a ufc marathon but the 2 hr. special shown las thursday should reair monday night [when it usually reairs btw] at 11 pmsorry mike d but after i logged off for the night i checked my digital cable listing and learned that impact WON'T reair this monday after all :spidey:

[3dman27]

For anyone who watches WWE, what do you think would be the last straw that would make you totally quit watching WWE wrestling for good?
for me it was dropping the hurricane gimmick :spidey: :thing:

[NDX]

I felt the Hurricane gimmick ran its course and needed to be ended a while ago. I've been expecting a Rosey/Shane Helms program for a while now, and I'm finally glad it's going to happen.

And afterwards see Helms going in a new direction, preferably feuding with Shelton Benjamin for a while.

[Hunter Rider]

I felt the Hurricane gimmick ran its course and needed to be ended a while ago. I've been expecting a Rosey/Shane Helms program for a while now, and I'm finally glad it's going to happen.

And afterwards see Helms going in a new direction, preferably feuding with Shelton Benjamin for a while.

Agreed,he was never gonna have any credibility an athlete of his talent deserves while using the Hurricane Gimmick,i can see him becoming IC champ now

[NDX]

I would like to see Flair drop the title to Helms to help push him as soon as possible. As much as I like Flair, he just doesn't need the IC title.

Although, I will admit, I will miss when the former Hurricane throws a wrestler into the ropes, strikes a pose, and his opponent freaks out. As bad as it was, it did bring a smile to my face.

[3dman27]

yeah mine too

[Jason Blood]

all of the mid-card titles are being held really high right now

I want people that need to be pushed to get a title for once

Rob Conway should get the IC title

[Colossal Spoons]

For anyone who watches WWE, what do you think would be the last straw that would make you totally quit watching WWE wrestling for good?

I dunno, I'm a long time fan and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I guess if Vince came out and said something really racist or introduced a new superstar called "The Klansman" ans his finisher was the "KKKlutch" lol; then I'd stop watching

ROB CONWAY as IC Champ? His entrance music alone disqualifies him from having any belt....."Just look at me" haha.

[Sabretooth]

There's been all sorts of time where I've wanted to quit watching WWE,but they keep bringin me back somehow :(

[Colossal Spoons]

Because the blood of Warriors past courses through your veins?

Or is it Hulkamania?

No, I know. You're a "Peep".

[Twitch]

The only thing that keeps me attached to WWE are their quality wrestling DVDs. I hope to have The Rise and Fall of ECW for my birthday soon :up:

[Sabretooth]

Because the blood of Warriors past courses through your veins?

Or is it Hulkamania?

No, I know. You're a "Peep".
Yes,among other things.You could call me a mark for HBK and Undertaker.They're probably what's keeping me with WWE.When they leave,I probably will too.

[Eric Draven]

For anyone who watches WWE, what do you think would be the last straw that would make you totally quit watching WWE wrestling for good?

Probably if the McMahons keep taking up tv time. But that's the good thing about the split brands. I could just not watch Raw :up:

[NDX]

For anyone who watches WWE, what do you think would be the last straw that would make you totally quit watching WWE wrestling for good?

They actually kill me. Vince McMahon sends The Brooklyn Brawler over to my house and he physically kills me. That's when I'll stop watching.

I've invested 20 years into the WWE and I don't plan on ending that anytime soon.

[Sarge 2.0]

Yes,among other things.You could call me a mark for HBK and Undertaker.They're probably what's keeping me with WWE.When they leave,I probably will too.We share a brain.

[Colossal Spoons]

They actually kill me. Vince McMahon sends The Brooklyn Brawler over to my house and he physically kills me. That's when I'll stop watching.

I've invested 20 years into the WWE and I don't plan on ending that anytime soon.

I agree 100%

[NDX]

It's hard to turn my back on something that has been there longer than anything else in my life. I've been watching since I was roughly three years old, and I've seen the good and bad the last 2 decades have given to us, and nothing has driven me off yet (although I did go through 4 months without Smackdown because I had late night classes). I don't feel WWE could really do anything to their programming to make me stop watching. It just feels natural.

Whoa... when the hell did I reach 400+ posts? Didn't think I was posting even that much...

[3dman27]

Probably if the McMahons keep taking up tv time. But that's the good thing about the split brands. I could just not watch Raw :up:but what if they start poping up on smackdown as well neither usa or upn could legally stop HIM from appearing since he owns the wwe
:spidey: :thing:

[Hunter Rider]

The Hurricane is said to be very upbeat about his new character. In a recent interview with The Seattle Times, he noted "It's just gonna be a way for me to show another side of Gregory Helms. I've been the go-to guy for the comedy spots for the past couple of years. I was the guy to make you smile, make you laugh when you needed to and the underdog in a lot of big-time matches. It's gonna give me a chance to show a different character."

The latest news regarding Jim Ross and his status with WWE is that there has been no decision on how Ross will be used by the company in the future. While J.R. is under WWE contract as a "Senior Advisor" through October 29, 2006, his contract as an on-air talent is rumored to be expiring early next year, which leads to speculation about what, if anything, WWE will offer J.R. to re-sign. This could develop into a big story in 2006, depending on whether or not Ross eventually returns to RAW broadcasting either on television for via the WWE Unlimited webcast.

[Hunter Rider]

Source: PWInsider.com

Joey Styles is expected to call RAW tonight. The feeling among many backstage is that Styles came through in a major way last week at Taboo Tuesday. If all goes well, the feeling right now is that Styles will be the head RAW announcer. We have no word on if a contract has been signed or will be offered today at RAW. Nonetheless, Styles is expected at RAW today. The Coach will likely continue storyline with his new 'gang'.

Tajiri did sign a new contract last week. It had been rumored that he wouldn't be re-signing as he wanted to spend more time with his wife. There was apparently some sort of issue where she couldn't get drivers license in the United States. The deal is said to be for 2-3 years.

Greg Valentine may be appearing on RAW or SmackDown! in the near future although this is not confirmed.

Paul Heyman's contract is expected to expire sometime next month. There is no word on whether he will re-sign or not just yet but he has been telling friends that he has several screenplays written up and has also told some that he has an idea on how to mix MMA and wrestling into a promotion. Some feel that Heyman may be telling people this in order to look stronger when it comes time to negotiate with WWE while others feel he is really interested in doing other things on his own. Heyman has been scripting the Ohio Valley Wrestling tapings for the last several months ever since Jim Cornette was fired for slapping a student.

[Twitch]

Heyman should say **** WWE and join TNA and Bam you have the new "ECW" :up:

[Hunter Rider]

The original plans for Survivor Series called for Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match as well as Bob Orton vs. Roddy Piper. Although it is not confirmed just yet, there was talk of turning it into a tag team match featuring Piper and 'Taker against The Orton's.

The latest on Chris Benoit is that although he's been offered a low-ball deal on his contract extension, the rumor is that he will stay with WWE as the market in Japan is not all that good right now. Of course, Benoit could go to TNA but Japan would be his primary focus. We'll keep you posted on how things pan out as it's all rumors at this point.

For those wondering, CM Punk is not expected to be called up to the main roster for quite some time. He has been working house shows but there are no storyline plans for him on the main roster right now.

[Colossal Spoons]

Ortons, Piper, Taker, Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Hunter Rider]

Ortons, Piper, Taker, Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Yep,Piper is the most pathetic looking specimen Ive seen in the ring,he coasted by on his personality years ago but now he really needs to retire
Orton needs to be the world Champ and get his status back IMO this feud is long passed it's sell by date and If they face each other again at Survivor Series whose gonna face Batista ?:confused:

[Colossal Spoons]

Yeah, I hate that they're keeping these two talents in midcard limbo with this feud. Honestly, how long has this been going on?

[The Batman]

Taker's been getting crappy fued after crappy fued...he really needs to be shipped to raw, so he can play with the rest of the big boys

[Sarge 2.0]

I would've preferred a Buried Alive match. A tag match would just be lame...let Piper and Orton Sr. just do a match by themselves.

[The Batman]

Taker's been getting crappy fued after crappy fued...he really needs to be shipped to raw, so he can play with the rest of the big boys

[Hunter Rider]

Yeah, I hate that they're keeping these two talents in midcard limbo with this feud. Honestly, how long has this been going on?

since WM21 initially and then really since SS in August

Taker's been getting crappy fued after crappy fued...he really needs to be shipped to raw, so he can play with the rest of the big boys

My big worry is that Taker is gonna go over Orton in this match,

[Colossal Spoons]

I don't know why they don't split the two shows up like this:

RAW - Heavyweights, Women and Middleweights
SD - Middleweights, Hardcore and Cruiserweights

[Hunter Rider]

I would've preferred a Buried Alive match. A tag match would just be lame...let Piper and Orton Sr. just do a match by themselves.

I think it could end up being a Buried Alive Tag match,i mean after the pathetic match on SD and the fact they've signed Bischoff vs Long it would be smarter than a singles match with Orton Sr and Piper

[Hunter Rider]

I don't know why they don't split the two shows up like this:

RAW - Heavyweights, Women and Middleweights
SD - Middleweights, Hardcore and Cruiserweights

B/c the idea was for each show to have variety

[Hunter Rider]

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Vince McMahon himself is said to have gotten very angry at Jonathan Coachman for pointing out on TV once that the crowd was chanting for Kurt Angle over John Cena. Lawler had to save the day by saying people were chanting for Cena too. It's said that there's been a couple different occasions where Vince was furious with Coach for messing up. These incidents have not likely helped with Coach's nervousness with his position on the RAW announce team.

Pathetic:down

[Colossal Spoons]

B/c the idea was for each show to have variety

That's why I split them up. The only thing they'de have in common is the large number of Middleweights. The shows need somethign exclusive to only that brand.

[Hunter Rider]

That's why I split them up. The only thing they'de have in common is the large number of Middleweights. The shows need somethign exclusive to only that brand.

You had no heavyweights on SD though,if by heavyweight and middle weights you meant

Heavyweights-Batista,Kane,Big Show,Taker etc...

and

Middleweights-HBK,Angle,Benoit,Cenma etc

You couldn't divide them like that it wouldn't work

[Colossal Spoons]

Middleweights I was more referring to Conway, Christian, Jericho, etc. Anybody eligable for the IC/US belts.

[Hunter Rider]

Middleweights I was more referring to Conway, Christian, Jericho, etc. Anybody eligable for the IC/US belts.

Yeah but if each side didn't have a heavyweight champion it wouldn't work,the main eventers have to spread across the 2 shows ,
To be honest they should just go back to one Roster IMO

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Yeah but if each side didn't have a heavyweight champion it wouldn't work,the main eventers have to spread across the 2 shows ,
To be honest they should just go back to one Roster IMO

I completely agree. The roster split was the beginning of the WWE's downfall a few years ago. Ever since they initiated this, their product has just continued to plummet in terms of quality. If they EVER hope to return to the glory days of the mid-late 90's then they need to do something QUICK, and reuniting the brands would be a good start.

Think about it...Cena VS Batista in a heavyweight title unification match (could bring back the undisputed title)

Something along those lines MIGHT get people back into wrestling, but I'm afraid that they've missed the boat on being as good as they used to be.

[Colossal Spoons]

But that brings back the problem of "midcarders" not getting enough mic time and exposire.

[Hunter Rider]

I completely agree. The roster split was the beginning of the WWE's downfall a few years ago. Ever since they initiated this, their product has just continued to plummet in terms of quality. If they EVER hope to return to the glory days of the mid-late 90's then they need to do something QUICK, and reuniting the brands would be a good start.

Think about it...Cena VS Batista in a heavyweight title unification match (could bring back the undisputed title)

Something along those lines MIGHT get people back into wrestling, but I'm afraid that they've missed the boat on being as good as they used to be.

Thats one of the things ive noticed about TNA,not only are they giving fans a variety of styles but they also have all the dream matches regularly on their PPV's
With the roster split WWE fans are not getting matches they would like to see like say,HBK vs Eddie,Angle vs Benoit,Cena vs Orton,Batista vs Big show etc..

[Sarge 2.0]

I think it could end up being a Buried Alive Tag match,i mean after the pathetic match on SD and the fact they've signed Bischoff vs Long it would be smarter than a singles match with Orton Sr and PiperFeh, If you ask me Piper and Orton Sr. shouldn't wrestle at all...I just hate it more that they're involved with the Orton/Taker thing.

[Hunter Rider]

Feh, If you ask me Piper and Orton Sr. shouldn't wrestle at all...I just hate it more that they're involved with the Orton/Taker thing.


I agree completely,Piper is so bad now it's hard to watch:(

[Sarge 2.0]

I agree completely,Piper is so bad now it's hard to watch:(It's sad, really...'cause you can tell that he was the man in his prime, regardless of how he wrestled...now he doesn't even have his charisma.

[Hunter Rider]

It's sad, really...'cause you can tell that he was the man in his prime, regardless of how he wrestled...now he doesn't even have his charisma.

He kinda gives off the vibe of an escapee from an old ppl's home that has Alzheimer's:(

[Sabretooth]

What is it with 60 year old has-beens who can't let go?:confused:

[Sarge 2.0]

He kinda gives off the vibe of an escapee from an old ppl's home that has Alzheimer's:(I die a little inside every time I'm forced to see his bear chest and stomache. :(

[Hunter Rider]

I die a little inside every time I'm forced to see his bear chest and stomache. :(

It is very sad,he was never very talented in the ring but he had a fire in his glory days


What is it with 60 year old has-beens who can't let go?:confused:

I know none seem to be able to retire,Hogan and Piper should look at Flair though and be ashamed:o

[Sarge 2.0]

Same goes for Orton Sr. He looks and sounds so retarded when he talks I almost turn off SD every time he's on screen.

[0neDisturbedSOB]

It is very sad,he was never very talented in the ring but he had a fire in his glory days




I know none seem to be able to retire,Hogan and Piper should look at Flair though and be ashamed:o

Anyone remember the Hollywood backlot brawl between Piper and Goldust awhile back? even though he was still past his prime, Piper still put on a good show and delivered the goods.

WWE needs some SERIOUS help, which is why I'm all for TNA becoming a serious competitor for them. Vince has become too relaxed in the past couple years because he pretty much owns the wrestling business....even if his product isn't as good as it used to be he probably figures "where else are they going to go?". Here's to hoping TNA becomes the new WCW in terms of posing a serious threat...it might light a fire under Vince's ass and prompt him to give some serious thought about what he's putting out there.

I'm still a wrestling fan, but recently I've rekindled my passion for MMA and the UFC...that s**t is just plain exciting to watch, and now that RAW is off Spike, they are filling the spots with tons of UFC matches...check it out.

[Colossal Spoons]

Well it's over now but it sure was fun to watch after RAW. Monday nights were/are awesome...RAW-UFC-TNA :up:

[Hunter Rider]

Anyone remember the Hollywood backlot brawl between Piper and Goldust awhile back? even though he was still past his prime, Piper still put on a good show and delivered the goods.

WWE needs some SERIOUS help, which is why I'm all for TNA becoming a serious competitor for them. Vince has become too relaxed in the past couple years because he pretty much owns the wrestling business....even if his product isn't as good as it used to be he probably figures "where else are they going to go?". Here's to hoping TNA becomes the new WCW in terms of posing a serious threat...it might light a fire under Vince's ass and prompt him to give some serious thought about what he's putting out there.

I'm still a wrestling fan, but recently I've rekindled my passion for MMA and the UFC...that s**t is just plain exciting to watch, and now that RAW is off Spike, they are filling the spots with tons of UFC matches...check it out.

Yeah i remember that match,hard to believe it was nearly 10 years ago:(
TNA is hot right now and they are building in the right direction,WWE need to stop pushing guys they WANT to be over and start pushing guys that ARE over

tonight's RAW main event is a prime example of whats wrong with WWE right now

HBK/Cena vs Angel/Masters

[Sarge 2.0]

MastersIck. Seriously? :(

[Hunter Rider]

Ick. Seriously? :(

Yep:mad: who is this guy blowing to get these matches ?:confused: he's the crappest thing to come down the line in some time

[Sarge 2.0]

Yep:mad: who is this guy blowing to get these matches ?:confused: he's the crappest thing to come down the line in some timeI hate how people have to sell "the Masterlock" like it's the Crossface or something. :(

[Hunter Rider]

I hate how people have to sell "the Masterlock" like it's the Crossface or something. :(

I hate the fact even the most simple spots seem to confuse him:(

[Hunter Rider]

As noted here on the website last week, Matt Striker has received some heat after openly telling some of the road agents that the RAW locker-room was better than SmackDown's. When word got back to Chris Benoit, JBL, and Hardcore Holly, the trio was said to be upset. He was thrown out of the SmackDown! locker-room several weeks ago while there for a dark match. There is also a feeling on the RAW side that he is pushing his limits while trying to script his matches. Many feel he is a young newcomer and should just 'shutup and do what is asked of him'. It was also noted that JBL recently invited him out after a taping to grab a few drinks to try and 'get-to-know' him a little better and Striker refused the offer. This obviously didn't sit well with JBL. Striker was seen last week at RAW hanging out with the indy guys as well as the WWE.com crew.

[Hunter Rider]

Carlito going over Shelton,more retarded booking by WWE:down :mad:

[Twitch]

Carlito going over Shelton,more retarded booking by WWE:down :mad:

Good Lord, Man :eek:

[Sabretooth]

Ugh.I like Carlito but Shelton is just getting screwed again.:down

[Hunter Rider]

I guess the great booking committee missed the part where HBK told everyone Shelton was the best piece of talent to come down the pipe in ten years:o :(

[Sabretooth]

Continuity doesn't work in WWE anymore.:o

[Hunter Rider]

Continuity doesn't work in WWE anymore.:o

Well looks like HBK is gonna have to carry RAW's team at this rate:(

[Sabretooth]

Yeah.Everybody else on there is going to be so bland.

[Hunter Rider]

^^^^ At least the 5th spot won't got to Edge

[Sabretooth]

Yeah.But now we'll probably get Big Show,Kane,Masters,and Carlito.Great line up,just beautiful.:down

Hopefully SD! side will make up for it

[Hunter Rider]

Yeah.But now we'll probably get Big Show,Kane,Masters,and Carlito.Great line up,just beautiful.:down

Hopefully SD! side will make up for it

Ugh i'd forgotten Masters:( i still can't see why they keep pushing that talentless tard:confused:
The Sd team will be JBL,Hardy,Kennedy,Rey and maybe Holly

add to that a Batista/Eddie rematch and Piper/Taker vs The Ortons and things are looking bleak

[Sabretooth]

Kennedy,Hardy,and Rey might make up for the other two.

And I really don't want to see Undertaker standing with piper,unless he chokeslams him at the end of the match and maybe turns heel :up:


Though that would lead to an Undertaker/Piper feud. :down

And HR,what's Munich about?

[Hunter Rider]

Kennedy,Hardy,and Rey might make up for the other two.

And I really don't want to see Undertaker standing with piper,unless he chokeslams him at the end of the match and maybe turns heel :up:


Though that would lead to an Undertaker/Piper feud. :down

And HR,what's Munich about?

If Taker went Heel i guess they could do a Taker vs Batista feud.........hmmmmmmmm

Munich is Spielberg's new film about the assassination of the Terrorists that carried out the Munich siege at the Olympics

Trailer (http://www.munichmovie.com/munich_trlr1_300k.mov) Medium-Res http://www.drfoster.f2s.com/images/qtlogo.jpg (5.71Mb)

[PyroChamber]

Wait, the main event is now? Kinda early isn't it?

[NDX]

As noted here on the website last week, Matt Striker has received some heat after openly telling some of the road agents that the RAW locker-room was better than SmackDown's. When word got back to Chris Benoit, JBL, and Hardcore Holly, the trio was said to be upset. He was thrown out of the SmackDown! locker-room several weeks ago while there for a dark match. There is also a feeling on the RAW side that he is pushing his limits while trying to script his matches. Many feel he is a young newcomer and should just 'shutup and do what is asked of him'. It was also noted that JBL recently invited him out after a taping to grab a few drinks to try and 'get-to-know' him a little better and Striker refused the offer. This obviously didn't sit well with JBL. Striker was seen last week at RAW hanging out with the indy guys as well as the WWE.com crew.

At this rate it looks like I'll be watching Striker at the March 2006 USA Pro show.

Damn, I was hoping for Benjamin to go over Carlito in that one. Would have been great to see him teaming with HBK. Oh well.

Hopefully the Helms/Rosey story will continue on Raw next week.

[Sabretooth]

Daivari!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[NDX]

Well, other than the return of a Daivari, that match was a cluster**** of disappointment.

[Sarge 2.0]

If Taker went Heel i guess they could do a Taker vs Batista feud.........hmmmmmmmm

Now th^t I could deal with. Is it kind of sad that the best parts of the night were the Diva match and Edge and Lita being kicked out? I enjoyed the Hardcore Tag Match, just 'cause I'm a sucker for stuff like that but the Main event was just....BO-ring. :down

[3dman27]

the wwpu has gotten so tha i took it off my favorites list this morning

[Hunter Rider]

I see from this thread RAW was mediocre last night and Davari is back but on the show that doesn't have the CW title:confused:


SD is going pretty strong but I'm guessing this week they are gonna have to do smoothing major in the Batista/Eddie angle to set up their Rematch for Survivor Series:( .....bad idea IMO

I think they also need to get Lashley some focus,he has potential but the crowd don't seem to know what to make of him,is he a heel ? is he a face ? he is very much middle of the road personality wise,
I think he could use a manager and someone mentioned Dibiase in here a while back which would be the perfect choice IMO

[Angelus103]

is edge and lita r smackdown just for this week or for forever

[0neDisturbedSOB]

I hope for good, I can't stand and Lita anymore....shame because Lita USED to be the best female wrestler in the WWE.

[Hunter Rider]

Source: WrestlingObserver.com (Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

With The Rock owning the rights to his name, WWE no longer receives a cut of his movie revenue, nor does Vince McMahon get an executive producer credit.

There is talk of forming a team with developmental talents Mike the Miz and Matt Cappotelli.

Kid Kash worked the weekend house shows against Juventud Guerrera. The two were said to have worked well together.

As noted last night, the reason Edge is being sent to SmackDown! to do a street fight this week is to do an 'injury' angle so he can take time off to have surgery on a torn pec muscle.

[Eric Draven]

Ugh, the Flair-Conway match last night should've ended with Triple H interfering, costing Flair the IC title. That way, it helps to strengthen the Flair-Triple H match even more and it sets up Conway as a true "Legend Killer 2005" and it lets the IC title actually be defended regularly. Instead, they had Conway job cleanly. Talk about a waste of potential :down

[0neDisturbedSOB]

They already have the "Legend Killer" gimmick on Smackdown, his name is Randy Orton.

[Eric Draven]

Yeah, but that's what they're doing for Conway as well now. He's been dispatching old WWE "legends" since Homecoming. And after all that build-up, what do they do? They have him job cleanly to Flair, who doesn't even need the IC title anymore :rolleyes: :mad:

[Hunter Rider]

Chris Benoit's contract renewal time period with WWE has come up and according to reports, his new offer was no where near the amount he was earning before. Many have compared this situation to that of Christian who made a decision to not accept a new deal with WWE when they offered him less money as well. Christian was not issued a 90 day no compete clause because his contract actually ran up.

It should be noted that with WWE's new TV deal with USA blocking the chance to earn advertising revenue, it means there is less money to throw around inside the company. Because of this, top names like Chris Jericho (who walked away from the company for the time being) and Chris Benoit (who could be walking away soon) are no longer getting downside guarantees that they were getting just a few years ago in the $600,000-$900,000 a year range. Adding in the fact that with poor buyrates for Pay Per View events and low attendance at House Shows recently, the WWE isn't very strong financially at the moment.

Because of this situation, WWE has been put in a position where they are now offering new deals at half the amount many workers were used to earning just a few years ago. This means workers earning in the range of $600,000-$800,000 a year are now being offered deals around the $180,000, $200,000 or $250,000 a year range. Some reports have even stated that Benoit's new deal was possibly even under $200,000 in terms of a downside guarantee with the potential to earn more later that year. At this point, many workers who have been with WWE in the last few years or so that have saved their money well can either choose to re-sign, take time off or look at a deal with TNA that could be pretty close to what they would earn in a downside guarantee with WWE (although more potential is always there with a WWE deal in terms of a push helping to increase a downside guarantee).

It should be noted that Chris Benoit leaving WWE is purely RUMOR right now and some sources believe that he will re-sign as the market in Japan (the place he'd most like to go) isn't all that good right now.

News Derived From: Wade Keller @ PWTorch.com

[Mike_D]

...I miss the Hurricane.

[The Ghoul]

I don't. It was a dead gimmick that needed to move on. Truth is they need to take the goofy ass costume off of Rosey. Which would make sense if they really try & build a Helms/Rosey fued. If Helms started mocking Rosey with fat jokes or saying he was the reason they were tag champs & Rosey was the reason they lost them. Then have Rosey blind siding Helms in his street clothes. It would make for an amazing mid-card story.

[Mike_D]

what ever happend to the super-holly gimmick? she dissappeared. They should just make a small little super hero stable (like degeneration x). Hehe that would be entertaining.

[Go Web Go!]

what ever happend to the super-holly gimmick? she dissappeared. They should just make a small little super hero stable (like degeneration x). Hehe that would be entertaining.

Do you mean Molly Holly? Because they scrapped her "Mighty Molly" gimmick over 2 years ago. As for the Hurricane...Ugh...It's about time they move him in another direction. He hasn't had a chance to be anything but a ''superhero'' ever since he arrived as part of WCW. Knowing the WWE they'll give him a small push before running him into the ground and releasing him.

And one more thing, "Gregory Helms?" What crap is that? I know that's the name he wrestled under before using the Hurricane gimmick, but come on....It's Shane Helms, dammit. Bring back the name and while you're at it bring back the Vertebreaker.

[citizenpain]

what's wrong with big show and kane on the raw team? they're the tag team champions are huugee... i'm not a fan of either of them, but they need to be on the survivor series team cuz they can do damage. that's the whole point of the damn thing, having the biggest, strongest and most badass team. i'm glad we're even getting an old school survivor series type match, they rarely do those anymore, even at the event itself. i can't remember last years...

[Hunter Rider]

what's wrong with big show and kane on the raw team? they're the tag team champions are huugee... i'm not a fan of either of them, but they need to be on the survivor series team cuz they can do damage. that's the whole point of the damn thing, having the biggest, strongest and most badass team. i'm glad we're even getting an old school survivor series type match, they rarely do those anymore, even at the event itself. i can't remember last years...

Actually last years main event at Survivor series was a traditional 5 on 5 tag match with control of raw up for grabs,it was HHH's team vs Orton's team
The reason many don't want Show and Kane on the team is that most of SD's team ill be smaller thus the in ring work with 2 monsters will suck

[The Ghoul]

[EDIT: slow typing. ummm... I may be wrong but they did it last year. with whole "winning team gets to GM" story.] Plus, am I the only one here who is a mark for both of the "darkside" brothers. I like Kane. I just hate the stories he gets thrown into, but he can work & that's what really counts. Actually I am a mark for anyone who can pull off a dark character. Mostly because it's a hard feet to acomplish. Characters like Undertaker, Kane, Raven & early Mankind.

[Go Web Go!]

[EDIT: slow typing. ummm... I may be wrong but they did it last year. with whole "winning team gets to GM" story.] Plus, am I the only one here who is a mark for both of the "darkside" brothers. I like Kane. I just hate the stories he gets thrown into, but he can work & that's what really counts. Actually I am a mark for anyone who can pull off a dark character. Mostly because it's a hard feet to acomplish. Characters like Undertaker, Kane, Raven & early Mankind.

I've always been a fan of The Undertaker and Kane. So, if I may quote Michael Jackson: You are not alooone. I am here with yooou. :o

[Sarge 2.0]

I've always been a fan of The Undertaker and Kane. So, if I may quote Michael Jackson: You are not alooone. I am here with yooou. :oMe too. Although I didn't care for Biker 'Taker too much, 'Taker is probably my favorite wrestler ever.

[punishermax]

Actually last years main event at Survivor series was a traditional 5 on 5 tag match with control of raw up for grabs,it was HHH's team vs Orton's team
The reason many don't want Show and Kane on the team is that most of SD's team ill be smaller thus the in ring work with 2 monsters will suck

I thought it was 4 on 4?

[punishermax]

Actually last years main event at Survivor series was a traditional 5 on 5 tag match with control of raw up for grabs,it was HHH's team vs Orton's team
The reason many don't want Show and Kane on the team is that most of SD's team ill be smaller thus the in ring work with 2 monsters will suck

I thought last year it was 4 on 4?

[NDX]

I thought so too.

I miss the characters like Raven and early Mankind (urge to pull out hair rising) in todays storylines, but it will be hard to capture the magic they had again.

Hopefully this Helms/Rosey story will highlight both of them and give each of them a push in the right direction. I've been wanting to see Helms drop the gimmick and receive a proper push. I'm also a big advocate of Rosey and feel he can be a good worker as a singles competitor. But, being a fellow fat guy, I always like to see the fat guy succeed. Now, if they can only get him to do a moonsault.

[NDX]

80's WWF manager Slick is featured in "Where Are They Now?" page of Raw Magazine. There's also a recent photo of him and it looks like he's barely even aged since he was last seen in 1993. He's a full-time Baptist minister in Texas now.

You know what, that is not surprising at all.

[Hunter Rider]

Source: PWInsider.com

WWE World Champion Batista reportedly suffered a back muscle tear at Tuesday's "Friday Night SmackDown!" taping after taking a double chokeslam.

After working a quick, three-minute match with Randy Orton, Batista returned to the lockerroom in pain. Sources report that he had "obviously" torn his latissiums dorsi, a muscle on the upper back that connects under each arm.

One source described the muscle as being "rolled up."

WWE was to make arrangements for Batista to be evaluated by a doctor--likely Dr. James Andrews--Wednesday.

It is too early to determine the length of time, if any, Batista will spend away from the ring.

[LastSunrise1981]

Source: PWInsider.com

WWE World Champion Batista reportedly suffered a back muscle tear at Tuesday's "Friday Night SmackDown!" taping after taking a double chokeslam.

After working a quick, three-minute match with Randy Orton, Batista returned to the lockerroom in pain. Sources report that he had "obviously" torn his latissiums dorsi, a muscle on the upper back that connects under each arm.

One source described the muscle as being "rolled up."

WWE was to make arrangements for Batista to be evaluated by a doctor--likely Dr. James Andrews--Wednesday.

It is too early to determine the length of time, if any, Batista will spend away from the ring.

Hopefully this means they'll give the belt to Eddie and not Orton. :up:

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Hopefully this means they'll give the belt to Eddie and not Orton. :up:

Give the belt back to Benoit.

[Keyser Soze]

Damn, pretty insensitive, guys. My first thought is that I hope Batista is okay, and that this is nothing serious. Who will replace him as champion is secondary.

[0neDisturbedSOB]

No, I hope Batista is ok too. I actually like him, probably more than Cena. It would be a shame for his title run to come to an end because of an injury. Both guys are close to surpassing JBL as the longest running champs in currently memory....I believe they are both at 9 months.

[Hunter Rider]

Honestly to be blunt Batista's injury could benefit SD,they need to put the belt on Orton and really push him and this leaves the way open for a feud between Eddie and Randy

Hopefully the WWE will show some innovation and make some kind of special match to crown a new champ if indeed the injury is as bad as it seems

[0neDisturbedSOB]

I want to know how the hell Batista got a DOUBLE CHOKESLAM.

[Hunter Rider]

I want to know how the hell Batista got a DOUBLE CHOKESLAM.

from what i read Show and Kane did a run in on SD and double chokeslamed him

[0neDisturbedSOB]

What's up with that? aren't they supposed to be good guys, and now they're coming to Smackdown to chokeslam Batista? I wonder if this means they are going to turn into Bischoff's goons now.

[LastSunrise1981]

Damn, pretty insensitive, guys. My first thought is that I hope Batista is okay, and that this is nothing serious. Who will replace him as champion is secondary.

I hope he's okay too, but I'm not too fond of his title run and would love for him to drop the belt to Benoit or Eddie.

It's a shame that he got hurt the way he did. But injuries happen and I would never wish harm or hurt on anyone, not even my worse enemy. Hopefully he makes a speedy recovery.

I bet if Chris Masters, Gene Snitsky, or JBL got hurt you'd be saying "Good. Don't need them around anyways." :o

[Keyser Soze]

No, I wouldn't. I like JBL, and guys like Chris Masters and Gene Snitsky - though I'm not fans of their work - are still young, and have a career ahead of them. I wouldn't wish that to be taken away through injury.

[The Techno Bat]

I wish that survivor series would just go back to the old ways of teams taking on teams, that was the best. No one on one matches, it really defeats the purpose of the entire concept of Survivor Series...

take two faces from Raw and two from smackdown and have them face off against two heels from Raw and two heels from smackdown.

For example one team could be:

Ric Flair, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Rey Mysterio vs HHH, CCC, MNM

something like that, there could be endless possibilities, and it could add to feuds.
what would be some of your teams that you would put together?

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Batista/HBK/Benoit/Cena VS Orton/Angle/Kennedy/Booker T

[Hunter Rider]

What's up with that? aren't they supposed to be good guys, and now they're coming to Smackdown to chokeslam Batista? I wonder if this means they are going to turn into Bischoff's goons now.

I don't think so,this angle is pretty ambiguous from what Ive seen so its not really heel's vs faces but I'm not sure why they attacked Batista given he was never likely to be in the team match
If they were to turn Kane/Show heel i think it would be a cool idea,they would make a dominant powerhouse heel team,the only snag would be finding face opponents





what would be some of your teams that you would put together?

HBK/Shelton/Benoit/Rey vs Orton/Kennedy/HHH/Angle

[Hunter Rider]

Source: PWTorch.com (Wade Keller)

Batista did tear his lat at the SmackDown! tapings. This is a very painful injury and will likely cause him to miss several months. Unless the injury is far less severe than people think, it is expected that the title will need to be stripped from him.

Obviously, the top names in line for the belt would be JBL, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, or Randy Orton. The long shots right now for the title would be Matt Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Mr. Kennedy, or Edge if he is moved to SmackDown! permanently. Edge is likely to need surgery as well though.

It'll also be interesting to see if Chris Benoit is offered more on his contract now that Batista looks to be out. For those wondering, Benoit has still not signed a contract renewal.

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Man, that sucks for Batista. I REALLY hope this doesn't spell the beginning of the end for him. Hopefully if he does need to miss time, he'll come back better than ever with a little more intensity like he originally had.

[Sabretooth]

This could be a blessing in disguise for batista.When he gets better he can go and get further training/conditioning and come back as a man beast instead of a joker.

[Hunter Rider]

WWE.com confirmed our earlier reports from tonight. It looks as if WWE will be making a decision in the next several days as it pertains to the World title:

From WWE.com:

World Heavyweight Champion Batista injured his back at the SmackDown television taping Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

Earlier today, Batista traveled to Birmingham, Ala., to be seen by Dr. James Andrews. While meeting with Dr. Andrews, The Animal was informed that he had a decision to make concerning the treatment of the injury. He could either rehab his back, or opt for surgery. If he decides to go with the surgery, Batista could be out of action for as much as three months.

Batista plans on making his decision by the weekend.

[Go Web Go!]

I wonder how they'll handle the situation if he does opt for surgery. Teddy Long will likely blame RAW/Bischoff and who knows what'll happen from there. Maybe they'll vacate the title.

[Hunter Rider]

I wonder how they'll handle the situation if he does opt for surgery. Teddy Long will likely blame RAW/Bischoff and who knows what'll happen from there. Maybe they'll vacate the title.

The smart move would be to do a cool gimmick match like TLC at Survivor series with SD's top contenders,with the winner crowned champ

I also think they should turn show heel and have him take credit for the injury thus setting up Show/Batista for WM22

[The Ghoul]

The smart move would be to do a cool gimmick match like TLC at Survivor series with SD's top contenders,with the winner crowned champ

I also think they should turn show heel and have him take credit for the injury thus setting up Show/Batista for WM22

That doesn't sound like that bad of an idea, but I would go with Kane instead of Show. Show's run is almost over & it's best to keep him as the smiling giant. So when he does retire he can make appearences as a major lovable face. Plus Kane makes a better heel & it would be nice to have Kane hold the belt for more than a day.

[punishermax]

There have been a lot of WWE champions over the years with some title changes meaning a whole lot more than others. There have been total duds as champions and then there have been triumphant champions who've drawn a helluva lot of money for the company. However, there have only been a handful of important title switches.

My list of important title switches:
(not including WWWF; that's too ancient, IMO)

1. Bob Backlund -> Iron Sheik
- Pretty much signified the change of power between the McMahons. Vince Sr. was being phased out and Jr. was going to mold the WWF into what it would become - a global power. Backlund was Sr's golden boy, holding the title for a long time and beating virtually everyone. But Backlund was fairly vanilla, something that wouldn't fit in too well with Vince Jr's plans. The Iron Sheik was a good worker, but a transitional champion to something bigger.

2. Iron Sheik -> Hulk Hogan
- The beginning of Hulkamania, the catalyst for events like Wrestlemania, and the starting point for Rock 'n Wrestling, something that would carry the promotion through the 1980's.

3. Hulk Hogan -> Ultimate Warrior
- The next significant title change would come seven years later. The Andre/DiBiase -> Savage switches was meaningless because it was just to give Hogan time off to film a movie and Savage -> Hogan was just Hogan getting the belt back to promote the movie and take the reigns back to drive the company. Hogan -> Warrior, however, was Vince's first attempt to test the waters and see what it would be like not to have Hogan at the top. Warrior fumbled the ball incredibly becoming too douchey and the fans becoming very uninterested. Hogan was a better businessman and it showed.

4. Hogan -> Yokozuna
- The true end of Hulkamania. Hogan is squashed, burned, and pretty much buried in the middle of the card at King of the Ring 1993. One of the cornerstones of Hulkamania was building up a giant monster heel who got the best of Hogan in the feud but lost in the big money match. Here, Hogan loses in the big money match and isn't seen in the company for 9 years.

5. Yokozuna -> Bret Hart
- The beginning of the 'new generation' of more smaller, more athletic wrestlers and better workers. Hart had been the champion twice before but hadn't truly been the leader of the company. He was finally placed in the top role and ran with it. Hart's title win pretty much paved the way for people like Michaels, Benoit, Guerrero, and even someone like Mick Foley as people who could be on top but not possess the look of the traditional WWF superstar.

6. Bret Hart -> Shawn Michaels
- The catalyst for Bret making his exit and Michaels & The Kliq really making their rise to power. This title switch was supposed to be repaid the following year, but Michaels balked at switching back to Bret at 'Mania 13. Michaels was a phenomenal worker but never drew much as a champion. This switch led the way to the 2nd boom period.

7. Bret Hart -> Shawn Michaels
- Montreal Incident, pretty much the most famous title match ever. The definite start of the attitude era and a pretty obvious change of the guard as pretty much everyone involved goes into business for themselves and it leads to a pretty ugly situation. Not the most important switch, but probably the most important match.

8. Shawn Michaels -> Steve Austin
- If the previous change started attitude, then this change pretty much shifted it into gear and drove it at full speed. Austin was like a second Hogan, his popularity in the mainstream being insanely widespread. Austin's feud with Vince McMahon was legendary and led to a variety of off-shoot feuds with people like the Taker, Foley, and The Rock, which helped make stars of them as well. If it weren't for Hogan, this would be the most significant title switch.

9. The Rock -> Steve Austin
- The unofficial end of the Attitude era and with Steve Austin turning his back on the fans and joining up with Vince McMahon, his mortal enemy. The turn kinda sucked, but the fact that they turned Austin is the most important thing. In the coming months, WCW & ECW (recently bought by WWF) would feud with WWF and Austin's allignment would pretty much carry the company through the time, even though it was botched as hell due to the WWF guys doing whatever it took to keep their spot.

10. Steve Austin -> Chris Jericho
- Pretty much only on here because of the unification of the WCW & WWF belts. Though WCW was bought out 9 months earlier by Vince, this truly spelled the end of the ex-Turner promotion. The Undisputed Title thing never really went anywhere and in retrospect Jericho was a terrible choice to be the first guy to hold both big belts at once because they never did jack **** with him ever.

Since this switch, I don't think any of the switches have been tremendously significant. The only ones I can cite off the top of my head would be Rock to Lesnar and JBL to Cena as examples of making new stars (even if Lesnar pissed it all away).

Agree/Disagree/Want to add your own?

I saw this over the BYWL and I was wondering what everyone else thought, there in timeline order not importance.

[Hunter Rider]

List seem's on the money to me although HBK would have drawn more had he not been champ in the WWE's lowest business time of 2006



HHH>>>Orton would have been the next important one if WWE hadn't dropped the ball

The JBL>>>Cena one is still fairly mediocre IMO given how low key and forgettable it was

[Hunter Rider]

That doesn't sound like that bad of an idea, but I would go with Kane instead of Show. Show's run is almost over & it's best to keep him as the smiling giant. So when he does retire he can make appearences as a major lovable face. Plus Kane makes a better heel & it would be nice to have Kane hold the belt for more than a day.

The thing is there hasn't been a Show/Batista match before and the Spinebuster on him would be more impressive IMO
As for the title i wouldn't think it will be for the belt,it would just be a battle of the powerhouse's inter-promotional match

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Honestly I think a Big Show/Batista match would put me to sleep. Both guys are enormous in size, but Big Show is SO limited in what he can do in the ring (I know some of you will say the same thing about Batista) that it would basically come down to irish whips, punches and a few tosses. Now if Batista could manage to give Big Show the "Batista Bomb" I would be impressed, but otherwise I think I'd sleep thru it.

[LastSunrise1981]

From WrestlingObserver.com: (http://)

---

Ringsidefest Convention - 11/5/05
Bret Hart Q & A Session
Location: New York City, New York @ Carolines on Broadway
Reported by: Paul Nemer & Adam Martin of WrestleView.com

Paul Nemer, Adam Martin and friends attended the Bret Hart Q & A segment along with the picture and autograph signings. A good portion of the following questions were asked by WrestleView and friends and the rest were asked by those in attendance.

Tim Ash from Ohio Valley Wrestling started off the Q & A session talking about how he got involved in the wrestling business through his figures collection. Asked the fans what wrestling figures they'd like to see next. In a funny moment, Ash's cell phone rang while he was on stage and his ringer was a recorded voice of Hulk Hogan telling him to answer his phone. A fan yelled out that he was a mark and Ash admitted. In regards to OVW, Ash talked about how his mentor Jim Cornette was fired and how Paul Heyman was brought in. He mentioned how much OVW has changed and that Matt Capotelli (Tough Enough winner) would be coming up to the SmackDown brand any day now. He added that CM Punk has a big attitude problem and "won't shake anyone's hand." Ash ran down a list of former OVW talent that made it big like Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, Shelton Benjamin, Eugene, Rob Conway, Rene Dupree, Chris Masters, Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. Some "We want Bret" chants started and he had no other choice but to introduce him.

Bret's classic music played and he got a big standing ovation from the crowd in New York. Hart sat down and thanked everyone for their support. On to the questions...

How did he and Shawn started hating each other?
Bret responded, "I was always a decent guy and Shawn was just an *******."

Would he be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006?
Bret stated he didn't think it would happen by next year, although he was given offers. He added, "If I did anything for WWE ever again, it would have to be at Madison Square Garden."

His thoughts on Curt Hennig.
Bret said that Hennig was a great wrestler and a professional who always gave you 100%.

What's your favorite match?
Against the British Bulldog at SummerSlam 1992 in Wembley, Stadium in front of 82,000 fans.

If he would ever face Kurt Angle.
He wished that he could, but he can't.

Asked if anyone is similar to him in the business.
Bret says the fans would be the best judge of that and added that there will always be one Bret Hart.

His reaction to his music and titantron being played on WWE RAW on August 15 in Montreal.
Bret said he didn't worry about his music being played that much. He added that he got a voicemail from the WWE saying they were going to use his music or video in some way that night. Bret said there was really nothing he could do about it and the WWE does not need his approval on what they do. He said he is at peace with WWE right now though.

What he thinks about Shawn Michaels saying that he would never step foot in a WWE ring ever again?
Bret said Shawn was right and that due to his concussion problem and suffering a stroke that it would never be possible.

Who was your toughest opponent?
The Undertaker.

About his time in WCW.
Bret said he never had fun in WCW and was shaking his head the entire time he was there. He added, "that shows why they are out of business right now."

About his backstage fight with Shawn Michaels.
Bret described the whole fight as "two girls fighting" and that it wasn't much. Although he was spinning Michaels around by the hair. He stated that he never forgave Shawn for what he did to him in 1997. The fan that asked the question said she confronted Shawn about it a while ago and Shawn said he was told to do it by Vince McMahon and that it wasn't his fault. Bret's response (which got laughs from the crowd) was, "Well that shows you what kind of a Christian he really is."

If he would ever return to WWE TV?
Bret said he isn't sure if he really would want to come back and isn't sure what the fans want from him other than to see him stand in a ring and speak to them.

His best friend in the business?
Jim Neidhart. He goes on to say that he and the Anvil never had a single argument and that Neidhart would put on a show backstage and at airports and was fun to be around.

How hard was it to beat Yokozuna?
Everyone started laughing when this question was asked, but we couldn't blame the questioner since he was a little kid. Bret answered by saying that it was a pleasure to beat him.

Who he would pick as a tag team partner today?
This question was asked by a younger kid in the crowd who asked Bret who he would team with if he could take on current World Tag Team Champions Big Show & Kane: Matt Hardy or Hardcore Holly. This got some laughs from the crowd and Hart smiled saying he would go with Matt Hardy.

His thoughts on TNA and if he would ever go there.
Bret said he has a lot of respect for TNA, but is content in how he left the wrestling business and isn't looking for an on-air role right now.

His thoughts on Ring of Honor.
Bret said he has seen some footage, but doesn't know much about it so he didn't feel he was able to comment much.

Would he mind if one of his kids got into wrestling?
Bret responds, "If they're happy, I'm happy."

Any upcoming plans for him?
He talked about the Aladdin play from last December and said that he'd be doing it again this year in Toronto.

Any hard feelings towards Bill Goldberg?
He said there were no hard feelings and that he knows it was an accident. "It was just one of those bad days at work," Hart said.

His track record of never hurting his opponents.
Bret talked about how he has a perfect record in not seriously injuring any opponents he has been in the ring with. Hart joked adding, "I think I chipped Vader's tooth one time."

The upcoming WWE DVD about his career.
Hart said he is glad he got involved with the WWE DVD about his career and said the original one would have been a big disappointment. He added that he doesn't appreciate the WWE always referring to the Survivor Series '97 situation as a "storyline" all the time. "I don't appreciate the way they stick it in my eye every time," said Hart.

Everyone had their comments about the Ultimate Warrior, WWE had their own DVD, what are Bret Hart's thoughts?
He was never a great wrestler and a great guy. Nothing much to say about him. He said that he probably had what was coming to him (DVD).

His favorite WrestleMania match?
He said that he had many, one being WrestleMania 12 against Shawn, but he liked the match with Steve AUstin at WM13 more.

Did he ever consider training wrestlers like his dad.
Bret said yes, he's considered it, and if he could, he would. He thinks about opening a wrestling school but ever since the concussion and stroke, he doesn't think that he can. He can't take the bumps. Although it's a dream that he wouldn't mind persuing.

His thoughts on Ric Flair?
Bret responded, "He was a great wrestler 100 years ago." He said that doesn't have much bad things to say about him. Hart joked they could have a wheelchair match.

Does he blame Earl Hebner?
Bret responded, "I don't blame him much. He was put in a compromising position. He had a gun to his head." He then talked about Shawn Michaels and Triple H, saying that the backstage is like a sacred area. More in the lines of trust between the wrestlers, then trashed Shawn and Hunter (deservedly so). He said that if the roles were reversed, he would have never screwed Shawn Michaels, he would never do that to another wrestler. Was then asked about Russo and if he was involved, Bret said no. He then said that Gerald Brisco planned the whole screwjob.

Where he sees himself 10 years from now?
"Hopefully on a beach somewhere," Hart said to some laughter.

Who was the best shooter in the ring?
Bret said Ken Shamrock was probably the best shooter, while Vader worked the stiffest.

When his upcoming book will be out?
Bret said he has been working on it for a while now. When a fan asked about Shawn Michaels' upcoming autobiography, Hart said, "Save your money and buy mine."

Was Bret ever friends with Shawn Michaels?
Yes, they were close friends at one point, but all that went away when Shawn Michaels forgot where he came from. Hart added, "He wanted my spot and by hook or crook, he got it."

What he feels about fans chanting his name at events years later.
Bret said he is glad he was never forgotten by the fans in Canada and all over the world.

If he preferred working as a face or heel?
Bret said it was more fun being a heel. He regrets some of the things he had to say about the United States since his mother was from New York. Hart said he wished he had a chance to regain some face after his "American Basher" gimmick that was proposed by Vince.

Who inspired him to become a wrestler?
Bruno Sammartino. Bret said he always wanted to be a great champion like Bob Backlund. He smiled and added that probably wasn't the best name to bring up since he considered his worst PPV match ever to be with Backlund. "When I got backstage behind the curtain, I said outloud 'man, that stunk.' It wasn't Bob's fault. It was just a ****ty idea."

What he thinks about guys like The Rock and others using the Sharpshooter?
Bret thinks The Rock, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were all the worst at doing it which got laughs from the crowd.

On his promo skills.
"For me, it was always hard to talk unless my emotions were high. If I knew the outcome of the match before I did the promo, it affected my confidence."

If you knew the outcome of Survivor Series minutes before walking out to that ring, what would you have done.
Bret said he would have walked to the ring and knocked out Vince and Shawn. The end.

Question by Paul Nemer: Shawn Michaels forfeited his title in February of 1997 to avoid jobbing to you. Later that summer, you and Shawn were suppose to face each other at the 1997 King of the Ring in a 10-minute match. The stipulation was, if you were to lose that match, you would never step foot on American soil, but that match never happened and Shawn ended up facing Steve Austin. What happened?
Bret said that he had knee surgery and wasn't able to wrestle. He wasn't 100% and didn't want to risk it, especially against Shawn Michaels with all the emotions and things that were going on, he didn't trust him.

His thoughts on Ric Flair calling him a great wrestler, but not a great champion in his book?
"Well, who really cares what Ric Flair thinks," said Bret.

If he watches WWE programming today.
Bret said he doesn't follow the business that much and said wrestling changed so much after Survivor Series 1997. He said back in his day, the champion was the highest paid guy in the company, but now with contracts involved, it is a whole new ball game.

His thoughts on Survivor Series '97.
Bret said he was very shocked it happened after Vince called him the Lou Gehrig of wrestling only a few weeks before that. Hart said there were a million other things they could have done besides that finish. Bret added, "It was never about losing in Canada."

His thoughts on other wrestlers:

Scott Steiner:
Bret said that it's one of the last guys you want to upset. Then said that he has a lot of respect towards him.

Scott Hall:
Bret said that Hall can put on great matches, only when he wants to.

John Cena:
Bret said he has never met him and has nothing bad to say about him. Has only seen a few blimps of him here and there. Hart said he shows lots of action and is strong on the mic.

The Undertaker:
"One of the greatest wrestlers I got in the ring with. Hasn't lost a step. Is a true professional," said Hart.

Steve Austin:
Bret said he has the highest respect for Austin and misses being able to work with him.

Triple H:
Everyone laughed when his name was brought up. Bret said, "Right up there with Shawn Michaels."

Hulk Hogan:
Said he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but that he was afraid to wrestle him. He felt that Hogan was very two faced and didn't care about anyone but him.

In conclusion, Hart was nothing short but professional. During the picture and autograph signing, he was interacting with the fans and answered ever single question thrown at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd love to see Bret on TV and even if it meant him talking to the fans, I'd really be happy with that and so would anyone else.

I also think him and Shawn need to mend fences. In my opinion it seems Shawn has turned a new leaf and seems more mature, down to Earth, and wiser than he was when he was younger.

I thought Shawn even said he's called Bret on numerous occassions to apologize to him? :confused: And if I remember correctly, didn't he apologize for it on Confidential?

[The Techno Bat]

Show's run is almost over & it's best to keep him as the smiling giant.


His run is almost over? Where has that been stated? I think the Big Show is still a major player in wrestling and if given the right run he could make for a formidable and powerhouse champion, nobody could beat him, I would rather see the world title with The Big Show then with John Cena. The WWE needs to treat The Big Show with a bit more respect and give him the world title and treat him like the GIANT and MONSTER that he is!

[Sarge 2.0]

From WrestlingObserver.com: (http://)

---

Ringsidefest Convention - 11/5/05
Bret Hart Q & A Session
Location: New York City, New York @ Carolines on Broadway
Reported by: Paul Nemer & Adam Martin of WrestleView.com

Paul Nemer, Adam Martin and friends attended the Bret Hart Q & A segment along with the picture and autograph signings. A good portion of the following questions were asked by WrestleView and friends and the rest were asked by those in attendance.

Tim Ash from Ohio Valley Wrestling started off the Q & A session talking about how he got involved in the wrestling business through his figures collection. Asked the fans what wrestling figures they'd like to see next. In a funny moment, Ash's cell phone rang while he was on stage and his ringer was a recorded voice of Hulk Hogan telling him to answer his phone. A fan yelled out that he was a mark and Ash admitted. In regards to OVW, Ash talked about how his mentor Jim Cornette was fired and how Paul Heyman was brought in. He mentioned how much OVW has changed and that Matt Capotelli (Tough Enough winner) would be coming up to the SmackDown brand any day now. He added that CM Punk has a big attitude problem and "won't shake anyone's hand." Ash ran down a list of former OVW talent that made it big like Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, Shelton Benjamin, Eugene, Rob Conway, Rene Dupree, Chris Masters, Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. Some "We want Bret" chants started and he had no other choice but to introduce him.

Bret's classic music played and he got a big standing ovation from the crowd in New York. Hart sat down and thanked everyone for their support. On to the questions...

How did he and Shawn started hating each other?
Bret responded, "I was always a decent guy and Shawn was just an *******."

Would he be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006?
Bret stated he didn't think it would happen by next year, although he was given offers. He added, "If I did anything for WWE ever again, it would have to be at Madison Square Garden."

His thoughts on Curt Hennig.
Bret said that Hennig was a great wrestler and a professional who always gave you 100%.

What's your favorite match?
Against the British Bulldog at SummerSlam 1992 in Wembley, Stadium in front of 82,000 fans.

If he would ever face Kurt Angle.
He wished that he could, but he can't.

Asked if anyone is similar to him in the business.
Bret says the fans would be the best judge of that and added that there will always be one Bret Hart.

His reaction to his music and titantron being played on WWE RAW on August 15 in Montreal.
Bret said he didn't worry about his music being played that much. He added that he got a voicemail from the WWE saying they were going to use his music or video in some way that night. Bret said there was really nothing he could do about it and the WWE does not need his approval on what they do. He said he is at peace with WWE right now though.

What he thinks about Shawn Michaels saying that he would never step foot in a WWE ring ever again?
Bret said Shawn was right and that due to his concussion problem and suffering a stroke that it would never be possible.

Who was your toughest opponent?
The Undertaker.

About his time in WCW.
Bret said he never had fun in WCW and was shaking his head the entire time he was there. He added, "that shows why they are out of business right now."

About his backstage fight with Shawn Michaels.
Bret described the whole fight as "two girls fighting" and that it wasn't much. Although he was spinning Michaels around by the hair. He stated that he never forgave Shawn for what he did to him in 1997. The fan that asked the question said she confronted Shawn about it a while ago and Shawn said he was told to do it by Vince McMahon and that it wasn't his fault. Bret's response (which got laughs from the crowd) was, "Well that shows you what kind of a Christian he really is."

If he would ever return to WWE TV?
Bret said he isn't sure if he really would want to come back and isn't sure what the fans want from him other than to see him stand in a ring and speak to them.

His best friend in the business?
Jim Neidhart. He goes on to say that he and the Anvil never had a single argument and that Neidhart would put on a show backstage and at airports and was fun to be around.

How hard was it to beat Yokozuna?
Everyone started laughing when this question was asked, but we couldn't blame the questioner since he was a little kid. Bret answered by saying that it was a pleasure to beat him.

Who he would pick as a tag team partner today?
This question was asked by a younger kid in the crowd who asked Bret who he would team with if he could take on current World Tag Team Champions Big Show & Kane: Matt Hardy or Hardcore Holly. This got some laughs from the crowd and Hart smiled saying he would go with Matt Hardy.

His thoughts on TNA and if he would ever go there.
Bret said he has a lot of respect for TNA, but is content in how he left the wrestling business and isn't looking for an on-air role right now.

His thoughts on Ring of Honor.
Bret said he has seen some footage, but doesn't know much about it so he didn't feel he was able to comment much.

Would he mind if one of his kids got into wrestling?
Bret responds, "If they're happy, I'm happy."

Any upcoming plans for him?
He talked about the Aladdin play from last December and said that he'd be doing it again this year in Toronto.

Any hard feelings towards Bill Goldberg?
He said there were no hard feelings and that he knows it was an accident. "It was just one of those bad days at work," Hart said.

His track record of never hurting his opponents.
Bret talked about how he has a perfect record in not seriously injuring any opponents he has been in the ring with. Hart joked adding, "I think I chipped Vader's tooth one time."

The upcoming WWE DVD about his career.
Hart said he is glad he got involved with the WWE DVD about his career and said the original one would have been a big disappointment. He added that he doesn't appreciate the WWE always referring to the Survivor Series '97 situation as a "storyline" all the time. "I don't appreciate the way they stick it in my eye every time," said Hart.

Everyone had their comments about the Ultimate Warrior, WWE had their own DVD, what are Bret Hart's thoughts?
He was never a great wrestler and a great guy. Nothing much to say about him. He said that he probably had what was coming to him (DVD).

His favorite WrestleMania match?
He said that he had many, one being WrestleMania 12 against Shawn, but he liked the match with Steve AUstin at WM13 more.

Did he ever consider training wrestlers like his dad.
Bret said yes, he's considered it, and if he could, he would. He thinks about opening a wrestling school but ever since the concussion and stroke, he doesn't think that he can. He can't take the bumps. Although it's a dream that he wouldn't mind persuing.

His thoughts on Ric Flair?
Bret responded, "He was a great wrestler 100 years ago." He said that doesn't have much bad things to say about him. Hart joked they could have a wheelchair match.

Does he blame Earl Hebner?
Bret responded, "I don't blame him much. He was put in a compromising position. He had a gun to his head." He then talked about Shawn Michaels and Triple H, saying that the backstage is like a sacred area. More in the lines of trust between the wrestlers, then trashed Shawn and Hunter (deservedly so). He said that if the roles were reversed, he would have never screwed Shawn Michaels, he would never do that to another wrestler. Was then asked about Russo and if he was involved, Bret said no. He then said that Gerald Brisco planned the whole screwjob.

Where he sees himself 10 years from now?
"Hopefully on a beach somewhere," Hart said to some laughter.

Who was the best shooter in the ring?
Bret said Ken Shamrock was probably the best shooter, while Vader worked the stiffest.

When his upcoming book will be out?
Bret said he has been working on it for a while now. When a fan asked about Shawn Michaels' upcoming autobiography, Hart said, "Save your money and buy mine."

Was Bret ever friends with Shawn Michaels?
Yes, they were close friends at one point, but all that went away when Shawn Michaels forgot where he came from. Hart added, "He wanted my spot and by hook or crook, he got it."

What he feels about fans chanting his name at events years later.
Bret said he is glad he was never forgotten by the fans in Canada and all over the world.

If he preferred working as a face or heel?
Bret said it was more fun being a heel. He regrets some of the things he had to say about the United States since his mother was from New York. Hart said he wished he had a chance to regain some face after his "American Basher" gimmick that was proposed by Vince.

Who inspired him to become a wrestler?
Bruno Sammartino. Bret said he always wanted to be a great champion like Bob Backlund. He smiled and added that probably wasn't the best name to bring up since he considered his worst PPV match ever to be with Backlund. "When I got backstage behind the curtain, I said outloud 'man, that stunk.' It wasn't Bob's fault. It was just a ****ty idea."

What he thinks about guys like The Rock and others using the Sharpshooter?
Bret thinks The Rock, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were all the worst at doing it which got laughs from the crowd.

On his promo skills.
"For me, it was always hard to talk unless my emotions were high. If I knew the outcome of the match before I did the promo, it affected my confidence."

If you knew the outcome of Survivor Series minutes before walking out to that ring, what would you have done.
Bret said he would have walked to the ring and knocked out Vince and Shawn. The end.

Question by Paul Nemer: Shawn Michaels forfeited his title in February of 1997 to avoid jobbing to you. Later that summer, you and Shawn were suppose to face each other at the 1997 King of the Ring in a 10-minute match. The stipulation was, if you were to lose that match, you would never step foot on American soil, but that match never happened and Shawn ended up facing Steve Austin. What happened?
Bret said that he had knee surgery and wasn't able to wrestle. He wasn't 100% and didn't want to risk it, especially against Shawn Michaels with all the emotions and things that were going on, he didn't trust him.

His thoughts on Ric Flair calling him a great wrestler, but not a great champion in his book?
"Well, who really cares what Ric Flair thinks," said Bret.

If he watches WWE programming today.
Bret said he doesn't follow the business that much and said wrestling changed so much after Survivor Series 1997. He said back in his day, the champion was the highest paid guy in the company, but now with contracts involved, it is a whole new ball game.

His thoughts on Survivor Series '97.
Bret said he was very shocked it happened after Vince called him the Lou Gehrig of wrestling only a few weeks before that. Hart said there were a million other things they could have done besides that finish. Bret added, "It was never about losing in Canada."

His thoughts on other wrestlers:

Scott Steiner:
Bret said that it's one of the last guys you want to upset. Then said that he has a lot of respect towards him.

Scott Hall:
Bret said that Hall can put on great matches, only when he wants to.

John Cena:
Bret said he has never met him and has nothing bad to say about him. Has only seen a few blimps of him here and there. Hart said he shows lots of action and is strong on the mic.

The Undertaker:
"One of the greatest wrestlers I got in the ring with. Hasn't lost a step. Is a true professional," said Hart.

Steve Austin:
Bret said he has the highest respect for Austin and misses being able to work with him.

Triple H:
Everyone laughed when his name was brought up. Bret said, "Right up there with Shawn Michaels."

Hulk Hogan:
Said he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but that he was afraid to wrestle him. He felt that Hogan was very two faced and didn't care about anyone but him.

In conclusion, Hart was nothing short but professional. During the picture and autograph signing, he was interacting with the fans and answered ever single question thrown at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd love to see Bret on TV and even if it meant him talking to the fans, I'd really be happy with that and so would anyone else.

I also think him and Shawn need to mend fences. In my opinion it seems Shawn has turned a new leaf and seems more mature, down to Earth, and wiser than he was when he was younger.

I thought Shawn even said he's called Bret on numerous occassions to apologize to him? :confused: And if I remember correctly, didn't he apologize for it on Confidential?Cool interview. :up:
Also, I don't think Shawn holds any bad feelings anymore, and has probably tried to apologise profusely to Bret, but if something like the Montreal thing happened to me, it'd be pretty hard for me to accept any apologies, even if they come almost ten years later.

[Colossal Spoons]

Well this Batista news is not what I was expecting to hear today. This is.....poop(to use the professional terminology) As unfortunate as it is, I hope he opts for the surgery so he can heal up 100%; I don't want him pulling an Angle and wrestling injured.

[Hunter Rider]

Great interview with Bret,he was always my favourite growing up and i can't wait for his DVD:up: ...........But boy does he hold a grudge lol

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Bret was always one of my favs too. I remember going to the Pond in Anaheim to see him fight Yokazuna in a steel cage....man it was awesome, right when his music hit I got chills.

[Hunter Rider]

Bret was always one of my favs too. I remember going to the Pond in Anaheim to see him fight Yokazuna in a steel cage....man it was awesome, right when his music hit I got chills.

Damn ,how was the match ? i never saw Yoko do any gimmick matches of that type

[Hunter Rider]

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWTorch Newsletter

-- Advertisers have complained to USA about WWE Unlimited taking away TV viewers and bringing them to their website. WWE has been told not to mention it on their shows.

-- Michael Cole and Tazz are said to be really paranoid about their positions on SmackDown, after seeing what happened to Jim Ross. Recently when needed by some production assistants, Cole and Tazz were nowhere to be seen backstage. They ended up finding them outside sitting in a rental car waiting for their time to go out.

[0neDisturbedSOB]

Damn ,how was the match ? i never saw Yoko do any gimmick matches of that type

All I remember is Mr. Fuji sliding the Japanese flag in the cage to Yokozuna, him trying to hit Bret with it, Bret taking it away and breaking it over his knee....the crowd went nuts.

Bret Hart deserves to be in the hall of fame...one of the best of all time.

[Sarge 2.0]

All I remember is Mr. Fuji sliding the Japanese flag in the cage to Yokozuna, him trying to hit Bret with it, Bret taking it away and breaking it over his knee....the crowd went nuts.

Bret Hart deserves to be in the hall of fame...one of the best of all time.The best there is, was, and ever will be. :up:

[The Techno Bat]

Michael Cole and Tazz are said to be really paranoid about their positions on SmackDown, after seeing what happened to Jim Ross. Recently when needed by some production assistants, Cole and Tazz were nowhere to be seen backstage. They ended up finding them outside sitting in a rental car waiting for their time to go out.

that would s*ck if Taz was to be let go or taken off Smackdown. Taz is really funny, Cole could go but Taz has to stay.

Any truth to this picture:
http://www.chrisjericho.com/images/TNAGenesis.jpg

[Sarge 2.0]

That's been there for a while. I don't think it means anything.

[Colossal Spoons]

WTF, thought Chris was just touring w/ Fozzy?

[Sarge 2.0]

WTF, thought Chris was just touring w/ Fozzy?Yeah so did I. The statement on his website says differently. :(:down

[3dman27]

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWTorch Newsletter

-- Advertisers have complained to USA about WWE Unlimited taking away TV viewers and bringing them to their website. WWE has been told not to mention it on their shows.
i know how to solve thtat problem
put velocity and heat back where they belong
ON THE AIR
nobody with a dail up connection can see the matches i cant i tried

[Hunter Rider]

All I remember is Mr. Fuji sliding the Japanese flag in the cage to Yokozuna, him trying to hit Bret with it, Bret taking it away and breaking it over his knee....the crowd went nuts.

Bret Hart deserves to be in the hall of fame...one of the best of all time.

Completely agree:up: ,his matches with Mr Perfect are some of the ebst ever IMO

[Hunter Rider]

Credit: Wrestling Observer, PWInsider

-- WWE is planning to release a DVD called "Blood Sport: ECW's Most Violent Matches". The matches will all have introductions by Paul Heyman. There's no word on the release date yet.

-- Tazz and Michael Cole were recently censored on Byte This after openly complaining about SmackDown being treated as inferior to RAW. The entire segment has been edited off the Byte This replays.

-- Former TNA star Trinity's appearance in OVW on Wednesday was an official tryout.

[The Techno Bat]

Sounds like the WWE might be really pushing to get rid of Cole and Taz as commentators on Smackdown...

[TheVileOne]

Jericho isn't going to TNA. He probably just put that up to get internet fans riled up but also to promote Christian's possible first appearance in TNA this Sunday.

[Go Web Go!]

Sounds like the WWE might be really pushing to get rid of Cole and Taz as commentators on Smackdown...

Hell, they should gid rid of Smackdown altogether.

[Sabretooth]

Hell, they should gid rid of Smackdown altogether.
SD! has been pretty good in the past few weeks.better than Raw.And if they merge it,then all my faves will be on Raw,and I'll have to watch it no matter what.:(

[Hunter Rider]

SD! has been pretty good in the past few weeks.better than Raw.And if they merge it,then all my faves will be on Raw,and I'll have to watch it no matter what.:(

SD should improve some more after Batista forfeits the belt,

[Eric Draven]

I hope they don't get rid of SD. I've really been enjoying this Raw-SD rivalry lately.....