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26 Search Results for "ppv themes"

• Retro Blog: Stu's Take - 2007

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Originally Published: June 5th, 2007

     

    2007 has been a wonderful year so far in E-feds, it only seems like yesterday it was January but here we are in June 07 already and we've seen a few people step up their game in the past six months, whether it be in promoting their characters, writing skills or their guessing frequency has been consistent, hell even I make sure I guess for all my matches these days, there’s so many new people coming in especially in the last few days that I get the feeling everyone is upping their game for fear of losing their spot in the ranks and do you know what? That’s a good thing for E-feds, your sure to find that Mick, Nik, Scott are receiving more guesses and more better quality promo’s. It’s the same in life really, if you work hard at something to get somewhere with it only to have someone who hasn't put as much effort in as you to take it away it’s pretty upsetting.
    
    Many people in 2006 had their big breaks in E-feds but the people I'm about to talk about now I think have put that little bit extra into their characters whether it be real or created in 2007 so far and if they stick at it I can see them ending 2007 as some of the best E-feders we have ever seen and I guarantee you their characters position in their respective fed will prove that. I'd like to kick off with Forxx aka Scott, ECW writer and former owner of the awesome XFW. Now to me Forxx has always been a great creation by Scott, he’s easy to mould, you can fit the big man into any sort of gimmick you like and if the writer knows what he’s doing it'll work, he also a guy you can have at any level of the card and any type of angle, he’s a character I feel you can pull into main event status at anytime in any fed because he’s been around for many years and accomplished so much title wise and big storyline wise, he took a big step up this year and done what has eluded him for so long, he won the WWE championship against Randy Orton on Raw a few months back which by the way he held at the same time with the Intercontinental belt, I really enjoyed the ECW storyline he was involved with Team Forxx Versus Team Heyman and his feud with Neal’s character Randy Orton over the title was superb well played by both guys and well written by Mick and Nik. He also did great on Turmoil in WVW winning the Extreme title a few months back also he held this for about two months in which he defeated many roster members such as Ethan Morris and Blade. These title wins where all roughly around the same time and you can be guaranteed Scott was grinning from ear to ear and to be honest it was well deserved, I'm sure everyone will agree with me on this one Scott is a great E-feder and a decent bloke also. I've noticed a change in his style of writing also this year so far, his matches have got shorter for some reason we all have time restraints on writing etc and as much as his writing is still good I hope he can pick it back up that little bit to the way he was in XFW.
    We also saw a welcome return to Nik in 2006 and he is another guy who has stepped up his game since returning, His Legendary character Doomsday has been shown in some great angles and matches in 2007, with a great showing in the Royal rumble and at No way out, a personal favourite of mine was the destruction of Sabu by the masked maniac and his partner the Undertaker to win the tag team titles on SmackDown a few months back, once again like Forxx he can be used anywhere on the card because of his status in E-feds, although not winning as much gold as Forxx he was in some legendary storylines before he took a long rest from E-feds if you will, Since his return he has physically killed Johnny Blue, almost destroyed RVD and Sabu and whooped the ass of the Union and we all remember what he did to ole HBK when he returned I can see this being the year of Doomsday for some reason I just have a feeling and it'll be great if it is. Meanwhile Nik continues with the awesome SmackDown, writing some amazing matches, I have to say since he left and returned he hasn't lost his creativeness, some great angles and storylines from both him and Mick, in my opinion his writing is second to one and I guarantee you if Nik would have stayed in feds since his debut he would be on par with Mick right now, the guy can churn out some awesome matches in a very exciting descriptive manner and their not exactly short lets just say that. All in all a top bloke, a legendary stoner and one of the most funniest guys in chat.
    
    Over the pond as they say in WVW I believe there has been many great characters coming through the ranks since the beginning of the year but none other than Fi’s Character the awesome Viper, I remember first reading about Viper in one of his promo’s in IVW, he was part of a tag team with Phil’s character Grant Morgan and all due respect to Phil but viper always stood out for me in promo’s etc and I remember writing his matches in SFW and it was just after they had split as a team and I thought to myself that is what Fi needs with Viper, a break away from Morgan and a heel turn and boy when she got the ball did she run with it in 2006 and she spent most of the year in one of the best written and played feuds I have ever seen with Mike’s awesome character, Christopher Draven! This all culminated in 2007 gaining Viper a title shot which he won and it was great to see and it shows that you don't gain gold and the top spot in any feds respectfully in a few weeks it takes years and I was happy for Fi and I'm sure she felt the same, that’s what I love about E-feds, it is like a long road and you feel as though you have to over come obstacles that stand in your way to get to that top spot and when you do it is an awesome feeling believe me I've been there and a lo of other people have too. Fi also has been one of the breakout writers for me this year also with some awesome matches for Turmoil and pay per views, very descriptive and I have found myself engrossed in some of the matches she has written, I think she has definitely cemented herself as one of the top writers in E-feds and I can't wait to see what she does with WVW when she takes over. She may have had her problems with many people in her time in E-feds but Fi has always been consistent in her guessing, her promo’s have always been to a decent if not better standard and her attitude in chat is very polite and in WVW this will be her year whether it be writing the shows or playing the game.
    
    A few other people who I shall mention writing wise who are gonna be great, Morten I've read a few of his matches and I liked what I saw so far, Nathan, awesome writer and a great player of the game and genuinely funny guy in the locker an also Matt aka Nathan James has got great potential.
    
    In E-feds this week, nothing really much has happened, VWWE has had a spate of new signings on behalf of myself and I'm sure everyone else, welcome peeps hope you enjoy it and please be patient lol, Nik returned from a few weeks off, it’s good to see you back dude, Mort stopped singing in the locker but my ears are still buzzing, Fi wanted to interrogate Mort’s witness in her box, make of that what you will, WVW had an awesome Turmoil after the Mayhem PPV there’s some great angles coming up there soon and there’s a heavy build up to WrestleMania with many shows before and after being planned by Mick and co, should be awesome as always.
    
    I'll continue the E-feds column next week, as I've said before these are my opinions many of you will agree many will not but to all who have read down this far thank you very much, it’s appreciated. Stu.

     

     

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  • 4 months ago
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• 2 FORMER STARS RETURNING TO TN

  • From: TonyWellard
  • Description:

    Thursday on iMPACT two former Total Nonstop action stars Raven and Shane Douglas return and the debut of former WWE Diva Victoria.

    The news was revealed during the TNA PPV, when a number was given to text to find out who the two returning stars and debuting "Knockout" would be.

    Victoria who left WWE in January 2009

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  • 6 months ago
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• Backlash Predictions

  • From: Rob_Van_Dam
  • Description:

    As I proved with my Wrestlemania 25 predictions, i am rubbish! But anyway, these are my predictions for Backlash:

     

    HHH, Shane McMahon and Batista vs Legacy: I am not sure about this match, I think it may be a great match, or a huge disappointment like the Wrestlemania Main Event. I can see Batista screwing HHH in this match but i think that they are going to want to make this fued last longer, so what i see is that HHH retains the championship after Batista gets the pin, then on RAW, HHH comes out and starts talking, then Orton comes out and demands a rematch, then Batista comes out saying that he deserves a title match as he got the pin. This will then lead to Vickie coming out and announcing that at Judgement Day, it will be a triple treat match. I think thhat HHH's team wins but i want Lecay to.

     

    John Cena vs Edge: Again I am not sure about this match, it could be a great match, or another disappointment.I can see 1 of 3 things happening.

    1. Edge wins and takes the title to Smackdown

    2. Cena wins and keeps the title on RAW until Judgement Day where he is in a match with another Smackdown Superstar.

    3. Cena wins then CM Punk cashes in the MITB

    I can definatly  see Edge winning this match, but even though I am aa huge Edge fan, and I hate Cena, I hope that Cena leaves acklash with the title. I think that it is stupid that at every PPV since Survivor Series there has been either a new WWE or World Heavyweight Champion so I hope that we don't crown a new one because if WWE do, then the world titles will not mean anything so I hope that Cena wins and think he will be lose it at the next PPV.

     

    Christian vs Jack Swagger: I am looking forward to this match! I think that this match will finally make ECW something. I can again see this match going either way. I would not be suprised if Jack Swagger wins, but will not be suprised if Christian wins. I think that Christian will win the title though for a few reasons. The first is that it would make the PPV better for the fans as Christian is now one of the most popular superstars in WWE. The second is that I think that they need to crown at least one new champion and I think this could be the match. The final reason is that with the other titles they need somebody to hold it for a while, but with the ECW, they have only had 4 diferent champions since Wrestlemania 24 so that title already means something, so again I hope that and think that Christian wins this. 

     

    Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy: I can only see this match going one way, a win for Jeff. Matt has two huge wins over Jeff in the past few wins but i think that Jeff will win this one. If Matt wins this, then I will be shocked a bit, but I think that if Matt does win, then WWE are trying to push him into the Main Event with some possible world title shots coming soon. I still think though that Jeff will win this one but will not be shocked if he doesn't as there has been some rumours...I won't say any more as it may spoil what happens over the next few months. If you want to know just post a comment and i will tell you 

     

    Chris Jericho vs Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat: I am looking forward to this match a lot. After seeing how good Steamboat still is at Wrestlemania, I think he may win this. If it had of been Jimmy Snuka or Roddy Piper in this match I think Jericho would win because they did'nt look good at Mania but steamboat was amazing. I hope that Steamboat wins because he isn't one of those legends who makes appearances every year, Steamboat hardly maakes appearances and that makes the ones he makes even more special. I want WWE to give him one last moment in the spotlight because he deserves it and I think that WWE will!

     

    CM Punk vs Kane: I am not looking forward to this match at all. I hope that Kane wins but this match just seems pointless. They threw this together at the last minute as they needed more matches. I am expecting a prtty boring match here with Kane winning.

     

    I don't get why they didn't make another title match. They could still have made a Diva's, Women's, IC, US and Tag team title match. They may announce some more on Smackdown and on wwe.com and even some at Backlash but overall I think it is going to be a disapointment. Only 3 title matches! I won't e watching this live and really, I don't mind. Out of these matches I want to see Matt vs Jeff, Jericho vs Steamboat and maybe the ECW and World heavyweight title match. I think they should have had it next week as they new that they only really had 2 shows to make matches because of the draft! 
    

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  • 7 months ago
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• WrestleMania 25: The Late Revi

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Well... what a weekend WrestleMania weekend was. All VWWE records were broken as you people went wild for Raw and ECW.... and something called WrestleMania too.. but meh, you know it was Raw you loved more lol.
    
    And lets be honest... you people won't know what to think about WrestleMania 25 till I've reviewed it... so here we go.
    
    As usual, the opening video was absolutely fantastic and a great trip down memory lane, nice to see all the classic moments acknowledged though I felt that a few people were definitely missing giving their thoughts such as Randy Orton, though I guess they wanted to keep it faces only. Maybe doing an updated version of the "20 years ago...." video would have been cool as well.
    
    We kicked off business with Nicole Scherzewatsit singing America the Beautiful. She managed not to massacre the song which was a bonus but WWE always do this with immense class.... and here we go, kicking straight off with the Money in the Bank ladder match.
    
    I'm not going to go over every spot or bump here because I'm not actually watching the show lol, but a few standout moments was that absolutely stunning leap off the ladder in the aisle by Shelton Benjamin. Shelton Benjamin is an enigma to me, he has as much personality and talent as Jeff Hardy as well as the same willingness to do crazy stunts like that but has never come close to getting a push like Jeff. He does desperately need a marketable character, that's the ONLY thing stopping him from being a world champion. Mark Henry throwing the ladder and trying to kill Michael Cole would have been great if only he'd not missed... blown spot obviously.
    
    I'd never been more tired and bored of Hornswoggle than here. As shown in the chat, he's designed to appeal to kids up to about 12 who've amusement level is still at the "poopy" level. Little ladder... very cute.
    
    "You fucked up" is the most ignorant chant in wrestling, Sam said it in chat and was spot on. Lets see how well you chanting morons would do in the match. If you couldn't do better, shut the fuck up.
    
    There was a lot of new innovation in this match which elevated it a lot, Kofi's leap though the ladder, the bumps onto it.. I loved the match BUT....
    
    FUCKING CM PUNK!!!!
    
    A familiar theme this evening - the wrong person won. I really thought MVP was gunna be given the ball this year and was being built to it. The match was brilliant, maybe a few minutes short... but it would have been a lot more memorable for me had somebody other than Punk won... who is still not over to the level that WWE want despite winning everything in sight. CM punk is really the perfect example of how you cannot MAKE a crowd love somebody.
    
    Straight to Kid Rock.. which was a shock as I thought he'd be on far later. Enjoyable performance and he played All Summer Long so that rawked :D hopefully they'll do this every year, it was certainly reminiscent of the Superbowl halftime show style medley of songs. Next time though, maybe keep it for halfway to allow better piss break position.
    
    The Diva Battle Royal.... FAIL. This is going to be an unpopular comment but I fear Santino Marella has jumped the shark. While funny to watch at the PPV, the thing with Santino before WrestleMania was that he was seemingly oblivious to the absurd comments he was making and believed he was a serious wrestler, much of the humor coming from that. There was really no logical reason for Santino to even want to be in this match and as with all characters who take a humorous tone, there's a line that when crossed turned you from being funny into BEING an actual joke. When you look at Santina... that's a former Intercontinental Champion and you have to question where Santino can actually go from here.
    
    Jericho vs the Legends.... no doubt here the legends, class acts they all are, wanted to put Jericho over and it was the right choice but I think it would have been believable had Steamboat won considering his performance. Snuka probably put in the most inept performance ever.. I've never been a fan to be honest and he's really on the bad side of the veteran wrestlers argument. He should never have been in the ring and imo Jerry Lawler deserved his spot in the match. Piper did well and didn't disgrace himself... but this was Steamboats match. I anticipated he'd put on a good show but this was excellent considering he is 56 years old I believe and hasn't wrestler in 15 years. He got the crowd into his hands and I really hope we see a one on one between him and Jericho, maybe at Backlash or as late as SummerSlam.
    
    Post-match angle with Rourke was fine, a good finale and it was nice to see Rourke paying respect to Flair as well as taking the pop, he seems a class act who respects the business.
    
    Extreme Rules... Matt's look is fresh, he still looks odd in tights but I think we'll get used to it The vacuum cleaner was random... nice table spot, haven't seen that before... but this match was about two spots, both at the death. Jeff's leap over the ladder was fucking insane and the Twist of Fate in the chair sick, Matt deserved the win here and it'll elevate him back up the card imo. The feud is still alive and this one will hopefully end with a TLC match. Again, could maybe have had a few more minutes but an excellent match none the less.
    
    JBL vs Rey Mysterio... Great promo from JBL showing why he's such a great heel one last time. Rey looked absurd in my opinion though some people liked it... the match was really not a justified ending to JBL's career. JBL really deserved a much better built match to end it and Rey gained nothing from this.
    
    The Intercontinental Championship has now been held by CM Punk, JBL and Rey Rey... all former World Champions who are, frankly, on their way back down. The title was once used for people who were being built into the next generation, not for washed up former champions. This belt should be being traded between the likes of Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes, MVP, Kennedy.
    
    The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels... well what am I supposed to say? lol
    
    There's been a lot said about this match and there's nothing I can add that would do the match justice. Was it the greatest match of all time? possibly. My favorite match of all time? possibly. The greatest match in WrestleMania history? definitely. You know they've always called Savage vs Steamboat the greatest... but this topped it. EVERY young superstar should watch this match, this is what the business is all about.
    
    Seriously, don't you dare fucking tell that two jumping beans in a barn in front of 100 fans, jumping around like the spot monkeys they are can hold a candle to this. This was sports entertainment, it told a story from start to finish, right from the contrasting entrances. This was drama, it was poetry on a canvas, an epic with twists, turns and everything in between.
    
    I KNEW in my heart and head that the Undertaker would not lose, I was one hundred and ten percent certain... but its a testament to the genius of these two men that I truly believed at two points that Shawn Michaels had won the match - when the Undertaker appeared to be legitimately injured and was being counted out and when Shawn hit Sweet Chin Music late on. When  match can get you SO into it that you deny everything you know to be true... then its something special.
    
    This match will be watched and talked of in another 25 years and I've no doubt that when I have kids and they're talking about whatever epic match the veteran Randy Orton had at WrestleMania 40 with the veteran John Cena maybe... I'll be scoffing and telling them of this.
    
    We saw history.
    
    After that, what was ANYBODY gunna do? let alone John Cena lol. To be honest most of the triple threat was lost in me recovering from the match before. I can barely remember what happened except for the yearly Cena absurd entrance and title win. Cena winning the title just felt totally "meh" to me. Cena's been champion so often that he's just like Hogan was at one point. The crowd seemed like the couldn't care less and neither could I. Good match... just didn't care.
    
    And we were onto the main event....
    
    I've major problems with this match to be honest and it marked the biggest letdown ending to a WrestleMania since Triple H downed Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 18.
    
    The build up was absolutely brilliant television and the sense that these two would tare each other apart was immense... and what happened? a bit of a brawl and Triple H won with a single pedigree. I was stunned when Triple H won like that and fully expected Orton to kick out. There was no passion in the match. Triple H and in 2009 Randy Orton are amongst the finest storytellers in the business but for me, and I know its easy for me to criticize from an armchair, but they failed to deliver on what was expected. They didn't get over the hatred, the will to end each other on the biggest stage.
    
    A lot of people were expecting a screwy finish with Shane McMahon or even Stephanie ala WrestleMania 17 or for a Randy Orton win and title change for a shocking ending, none of what came and after the show stealing Undertaker vs HBK, this match really needed it to pull itself up there alongside it. In the end the finale was totally flat.
    
    Overall, the show was as excellent as any WrestleMania, a true and historic spectacle... BUT... it was frustrating, because this should had the potential to have been the greatest WrestleMania of them all. The finish totally let it down while some results were the wrong decision imo - Punk winning, Cena winning, the Rey Mysterio situation.
    
    In terms of matches - 8/10, there were great moments and Undertaker/HBK is still being talked about a week later and im sure will be for a LONG time. In terms of spectacle and historic atmosphere - a full 10/10. Nobody does a big event like WWE, every year they seem to pull up their game to a stunning level, this year was no different.
    
    A flawed masterpiece.

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  • 7 months ago
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• WWE Superstars themes

  • From: Rob_Van_Dam
  • Description:

    I got really bored so i made this.

     

    Themes include:

     

    -Edge

    -Christian

    -Randy Orton

    -Batista

    -John Cena

    -HHH

    -RVD

    -Undertaker (Rollin)

    -HBK

  • 7 months ago
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• 25 Years in the Making: Wrestl

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    So here we are WrestleMania 25, butterflies in stomachs, lights on bright, careers to be made and broken, titles to be won and moments that will echo through the ages to be created.
    
    WrestleMania 25 will emanate live from the huge Reliant Stadium in Houston, the arena that replaced the iconic Astrodome in 2002, host to WrestleMania 17. Over 70,000 will be on hand for the 25th anniversary spectacular (for 24th anniversay if you're pedantic) but what exactly will go down.... well here's my thoughts.
    
    Nicole Scherzinger is scheduled to open the show with America The Beautiful, Scherzinger for those not in the know is the lead Pussycat Doll and current girlfriend of Lewis Hamilton. She's probably a better driver than he is also... but singer? well we'll see. Either way.. I doubt she'll top Aretha Franklin last year. Being the complete MTV whore that I am, apparently Nicole was struck down by an illness this week and the Dolls had to pull out of supporting Britney in concert so who knows if she'll even show.
    
    But that's really irrelevant.. because it's wrestling we're here for, I'll predict in the rumored run order for the show but personally, I DON'T think this is how things will go.
    
    Rey Mysterio vs John Bradshaw Layfield: After this was given away for FREE on Raw, I have serious doubts this match will even. JBL has suggested he will do something historic at the event and will win "the most complete victory ever" this can mean a few things in my estimation - he will kill Rey Mysterio in the ring, it doesn't come more complete.. or more likely he will leave WrestleMania with more than he entered it with. I personally think that somehow he'll end up with either the United States Title, the MITB or the WWE Championship. With so little information, I cant really even make a guess as to what's gunna happen here... maybe he trades the IC Title for the MITB or buys it, cashes it in, leaves as IC and WWE Champion... for once, I've no idea. I count out JBL retiring at WrestleMania as some have predicted to return to the commentary booth, I don't feel that.
    
    The Money in the Bank Ladder Match: My original process of elimination went like this - WWE don't rate Christian, he won't win. They don't see Kane as a Main Eventer and he doesn't need the case anyway, Finlay, Kofi Kingston and Mark Henry? no chance by common sense. There's been "late betting" on Shelton Benjamin as many seem to think that he's in favor with Vince at the moment... but in favor enough to get a World Title shot? no. Which leaves two men - CM Punk and MVP. Originally I believed that CM Punk was a dead cert to win it back to back.. but I've changed my mind. Management seems to be back in favor and has a lot of momentum on SmackDown, he's over as a face and I think he maybe WWE's project for 2009 - your winner, MVP. Expect an insane splash off the ladder by Mark Henry, a bump by Tony Atlas and something nasty to happen to Hornswoggle.
    
    The Legends match: well the script has long been written for this one, Chris Jericho loses the match after interference by Mickey Rourke and as much as we've joked or speculated that Rourke may turn on the legends... no he won't. Rourke is a one shot deal. As a side note, what a class act of him to be at the HOF last night? I get the sense he genuinely respects this business and he's one of the celebrities who "gets it" like I mentioned in my other blog. We've joked a little about Jimmy Snuka and the state of his health but it is something I am seriously concerned about for both his health and the match quality. Snuka was atrocious in the Royal Rumble two years ago and in his promo with Jericho looks like he could barely walk. Maybe they should bring back the 80's gondolas that stood on to come to the ring as well as Jimmy getting to the ring will probably take longer than the match. Snuka will be eliminate quickly by Jericho and who's eliminated then will depend on how management feel about Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat vs Jericho has long been considered a dream match so MAY get the lions share but depending on ring rust, it's probably more likely to be Piper. Your winner however... will be the legends.
    
    The Tag Team Unification match: Ah, the excuse to get everybody on the show lol, at least it wasn't like at WM20 when everybody actually had matches. I think the winners here will fairly obviously be Miz and Morrison. WWE are building them as the best tag team of this generation and they're already on every brand almost anyway. I just don't see the Colons being high enough in managements estimation to be given the accolade of first undisputed tag champions, I've heard nothing to suggest managements opinion of Carlito in particular has changed.
    
    Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy: Smart money is on Jeff... but no, I'm calling Matt Hardy in a nod to Bret Hart vs Owen Hart at another anniversary PPV, WrestleMania 10 where Owen won. This is a feud that is NOT ending here, this is going to go on a lot longer than this and take in a ladder match or TLC before it ends. If Jeff wins, the need for the face to get the win isn't there, there's just no point in going on with the feud if the good guy has already won. Jeff I anticipate will also want to put his brother over and to be honest, I don't think Jeff needs this win while Matt does. A win over Jeff on a show like this will propel Matt into being a genuine upper midcarder player. Your winner? Matthew Moore Hardy.
    
    Next up we'll have an intermission with a medley of Kid Rocks hits. This is WWE doing the Superbowl halftime show frankly... and I like it. On a four hour show a break half way through for a piss and a change to grab snacks could be fantastic, giving the fans change to recharge their batterys. Like the Superbowl, Kid Rock will play four songs apparently... none of them however the ones I want lol. If he doesn't play American Badass and All Summer Long as well as Cowboy... that would be lame. I'd like him to play Fuck You Blind as well.. but that maybe too much to ask for.
    
    Back to the show and we'll now be onto serious business - the Divas Battle Royal, the reason we're all watching.
    
    The sheer fact that if anybody throws Mae Young over the top rope, she will die... leads me to believe Mae will most likely win this thing. WWE have a habit of Mae shenanigans and so long as she's not exposed.. we should be alright. I'd personally like to see Sunny win... but for no other reason than I still all these years on.. have an adolescent fixation on her... the same as Stacy Keibler.. but she isn't there :( I would like to see a few surprises even at this late stage like Stacy or somebody absurd like Bull Nakano just for a bit of fun. The winner could realistically be any number of people, Mae would be a good bet... but I've a feeling Trish Stratus will win... so I'll pick Trish.
    
    Triple Threat: This match really hasn't interested me too much to be honest. It's interesting... but doesn't interest me, if that makes sense. I just get the feeling we've seen it all before, Cena and Edge have feuded for a long time and Cena was involved with a Triple Threat  last year. The two have been constantly in the title picture for a while now and it seems like Edge certainly always has a title of some kind. I know I'm probably in the minority but just to be different and give us something new, I really wouldn't mind seeing Big Show leaving as Champion. No matter what happens - Vickie Guerrero will be instrumental in the finish. It'll most likely be John Cena leaving as champion after Vickie accidentally costs Edge the title... but as I say, id rather see it be Show leaving as Champion thanks to Vickie.
    
    Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels. Simply for me, this is match of the decade. I'm concerned that we maybe hyping the match too much but I say that every year, I did last year with HBK/Flair. This match will be the match of the night and I think almost everything has already been said about this match. I really hope the feud doesn't end here but I suspect it will. WWE, as they did last year, have done a good job of making many believe that the Undertakers streak is in jeopardy, against Michaels, its believable in kayfabe terms the Undertaker faces his biggest threat. The build up has been absolute quality... and totally in HBK's favor... and if you didn't believe HBK will lose before, you should because of that fact. Shawn, realistically, stands no chance in hell... the streak continues.
    
    And finally....
    
    Randy Orton vs Triple H. This is hard to judge. Vince always likes to end the show on a positive note and WrestleMania especially. Its no coincidence that it wasn't until WrestleMania 16 a heel left Mania as Champion. Triple H has been abused big style in the run up and everything points to Triple H beating Randy Orton and retaining. The fact that Shane and Vince are now allied with him suggests the new McMahon-Helmsley faction will be facing Legacy at Backlash in a six man. Personally? I'd enjoy a WrestleMania 17 scenario with maybe Shane McMahon turning heel and joining Legacy, as a third generation Superstar he'd fit perfectly... but I'm calling Triple H to retain, i really can't see a swerve being in WWE's mind after Shane and Vince came out last week.
    
    So that's your lot... shenanigans with JBL, MVP to become Mr MITB, Miz and Morrison to win the undisputed tag titles, Undertaers streak to continue, Triple H to retain... and as for the triple threat? well i'd like Big Show, but it'll probably be Cena.
    
    Predictable? we'll soon see.
    
    See you at Wrestlemania folks.

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  • 7 months ago
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• WrestleMania Memories

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    As I take a (well deserved) break from writing Raw, I thought I'd blog on WWE matters and what else could I possibly talk about other than WrestleMania?
    
    I'm going to do two pieces, one on my personal memories of WrestleMania (that's this one), and secondly, my predictions and hopes for this years event.
    
    In the beginning... Vince created WrestleMania.
    
    WrestleMania at the beginning really wasn't seen as "the Superbowl of professional wrestling", it really wasn't as grand as all that. The NWA had already promoted their Starrcade supercards and WWE had produced Showdown at Shea, make no mistake, WrestleMania was the answer to Starrcade.
    
    Vince McMahon is the kind of man, much like myself lol, who has to do everything bigger, better and badder than the opposition. Vince will have looked at Starrcade and thought - how can we blow that out of the water. At this time Vince was at the forefront of new innovation and technology, something WWE is NOT in 2009. Vince looked at cable and MTV in particular, he looked at the 1980's political landscape and gave us Hogan, Volkoff etc... he looked to pay-per-view.
    
    PPV was the single invention that changed wrestling forever, talking it out of local arenas and barns and into the front room, the revenue allowed companies to suddenly become major TV players and increase production values and wages tenfold. People like Hulk Hogan became mainstream celebrities, all from this one event. Vince apparently figuratively stakes the family jewels on this being a success... and it was. The celebrity endorsement brought in new fans and exposure and WrestleMania, in one night, made the WWF the hottest thing in America, burying the NWA in the process.
    
    My first WrestleMania was apparently WrestleMania III though I remember nothing of it. My father was allegedly something of a fan in the 1980's and literally everybody watched WrestleMania 3, I was allowed to stay up for it. Even though I don't remember it, maybe it left a subconscious memory that led me to VWWE some 15 years later lol. What follows next is my own memories of the events I saw live at the time. Many of these I, in truth, haven't watched fully again since then, so I'm just remembering off the top of my head what I can (I nearly forgot the ladder match at WM16 for one lol, so sorry if I miss anything really important out)
    
    My first actual memory of a WrestleMania is WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace with those absurd toga costumes. All I remember remembering is how much Hulk Hogan sucked and at that time I'd wished Bret Hart had left with the title lol. In truth I probably still believe that, Hulk Hogan winning the title at WM9 being the moment Hogan Jumped the Shark in the WWF, it was one of the most shameful power plays ever seen. Bret should have left WM9 as champion and although it didn't hurt his career, it could easily have done.
    
    WrestleMania X I remember a lot more, by this point I was watching the WWF regularly with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon etc being my favorites (even Bret Hart). WrestleMania X is still one of my favorite PPV's and one of the best ever WrestleMania's with Owen Hart going over Bret and the infamous Ladder Match. This was imo the PPV where the New Generation really came into their own. The main event, like last year and next year was forgettable however - Bret vs Yokozuna and I don't think imo that WrestleMania had really reached its "Superbowl" status yet and wouldn't for a long time.
    
    WrestleMania XI and the involvement of Lawrence Taylor I remember, funnily it's really only the celebrities I remembered from this PPV, Pamala Anderson of course being there with Jenny McCarthy. I didn't remember a thing about any of the matches which says everything about the quality of the show. This was a PPV where they tried to mask the lameness of the card with the celebs. Did it work? nope.
    
    WrestleMania 12 was the Ironman match and of course the Warrior vs Helmsley, losing in 12 seconds which is hilarious now... but I was pissed back then. Not for Helmsley who I hated but if there was one person I hated more it was the Warrior. I was a total New Generation freak at the time and ANYBODY who I saw as being from the 80's I hated - Hogan, Warrior, Slaughter. An Ultimate Warrior return filled me with dread, luckily it didn't last. I haven't seen the Ironman match in ages but it's always been one of my favorite matches.. yet thinking back to it, I really think HBK has had better matches since. Id certainly rather watch his Flair match or Jericho matches. Maybe I've just forgotten how great it was, I'll have to rewatch sometime.
    
    WrestleMania 13 came at a time I was becoming exasperated, for want of another word, with the WWF. I'd been watching WCW a lot in the latter half of 1996 and it was on fire, the WWF was in transition but mostly lame and WrestleMania 13 didn't buck the trend. I remember little of it and haven't seen it since first broadcast I don't think. I really had little interest in it. The only match that stands out is Bret Hart vs Steve Austin... and i'm gunna leave my thoughts on that for my 1997 history blogs lol.
    
    What a difference a year made... WrestleMania 14 and it could have been a whole different company. This was the "official" start of attitude with Tyson, Austin and Michaels being so memorable. Throughout that match it really felt like the end of an era but HBK was in such visible pain its still amazing they had the match they did. The final punch by Tyson and the 3:16 T-Shirt over the face were absolute perfect. There was much more to this PPV though, the DX Band murdering America the Beautiful was perfect for this era, LOD and Sunny was great, the dumpster match... great PPV and at this point, my favorite of them all.
    
    A year later and the WWF was now trouncing WCW... but in my own opinion, WrestleMania 15 wasn't as memorable as the year befores and all that stands out is the very poor Hell in a Cell match and the main event. The HIAC really was a snooze fest from a feud undeserving of the stipulation, it seemed tacked on and there simply to build on the reputation of the Taker/Mankind HIAC. The main event however was, like last year, genuinely the best two guys in the company and the hottest acts in wrestling. The right result with Austin again being champion led to the main event for the second year in a row being particularly memorable.
    
    WrestleMania 2000, XVI, 16, whatever you call it... it was shoite. Possibly the biggest disappointment in WrestleMania history for me, WrestleMania 16 should have been so much more. With the roster they had, the total domination... they decided for some reason to simply stick as many people as they could on the card. I'm struggling to remember much about the event, its another I haven't seen in a long time despite buying the DVD a few weeks back. Ice T I remember of course and there was the Angle/Benoit/Jericho match that was very good but could have been more. Plans I've always presumed originally featured the Undertaker who'd been scheduled to return at the 2000 Royal Rumble but in the end they had the four way that was excellent all told. Mick Foley's return however was lame and he should never have been in the match. Mick's career ending so close to WrestleMania was a perfect tragic ending to a career, it told a story. Coming back for this one match ruined that and would only have worked had Mick won the title for the fairytale ending. In the end we broke with tradition and Triple H won when many were expecting the Rock to do so. The ONLY great thing on the show as the triple threat ladder match, that's all that saved this card from being a disaster. That alone and the fact that all the matches, while not stellar, were good ranks it over WM15. Not my favorite event though....
    
    But the next one was.
    
    WrestleMania 17 from the Houston Astrodome was simply the greatest night in the history of wrestling, I'll not hear otherwise. This show was the final act in the attitude era, the last hurrah before the onset of a dark period. From top to bottom the card was utter quality. I remember watching this one live with some mates from college as everybody was still into wrestling at this point, something unthinkable just a year later. This night for me personally was the peak of wrestling's popularity even though ratings had already started to fall, but in terms of quality, passion from the fans, productions, talent, everything on this night was aligned.
    
    We had the TLC match, the gimmick battle royal, that awesome Limp Bizkit theme song, Undertaker and Triple H, the great garage brawl with Kane, Show and Raven, Angle and Benoit.
    
    McMahon vs McMahon for me at the time was just absolutely brilliant, it had been built perfectly with Shane buying WCW and on the night it was amazing storytelling with Linda rising up and kicking Vince in the balls, Shane going coast to coast - it was a fine start to the Alliance feud that sadly never lived up to these heights.
    
    The match of the evening however was Austin vs The Rock and frankly, this was one of the best built matches of all time. Austin and The Roc in the run up to this contest put in some of their finest ever performances, from Austin's NEED to be champion to the Rocks quest to actually win the belt from Kurt Angle, it was all brilliant and on the night they gave us one of the greatest WrestleMania main events ever. I loved them stealing each others finishers lol, you never seen that these days.... but the finish was what always made this special. I knew very little of backstage happenings at this point so it was a complete shock, Austin turning heel was the greatest swerve of all time, that image of Austin shaking hands with McMahon was one of the great pictures in wrestling history, played perfectly by JR and Paul Heyman. As much as I'd loved King, this event wouldn't have been quite as good without Heyman imo. It was a perfect end to a perfect show. The greatest WrestleMania of em all.
    
    For me, WrestleMania 17 was the moment that WrestleMania became WWE's answer to the Superbowl. Unlike other recent Manias, the crowd was huge, over 70,000, I cant remember the exact number. Every match on the card was fantastically built and a huge collision, the performances were off the chat as was the production. WrestleMania 17 heralded a new dawn for WrestleMania.
    
    WrestleMania 18 the year after was the first of the VWWE era, for many of our younger members, that must seem an age ago lol. The problem with WrestleMania 18 is that it followed 17 and could never live up to the previous years event despite the fact that WWE followed exactly the same formula almost. There was the big arena and crowd, the massive set, a live band... the problem? the matches.
    
    I'm as big a Chris Jericho fan as anybody but the decision to put the belt on Jericho at Vengeance in December 2001 was one of the biggest mistakes in WWE history. Following what happened at WrestleMania 17, the logical and poetic finale to the year 2001 was The Rock vs Steve Austin for the Undisputed Championship with The Rock winning and avenging his loss at WM17, possibly going on to WM18 to face Triple H. However... WWE threw us a swerve and had Jericho win and the had him hook up with Stephanie McMahon. In just a year WWE had gone from some of the greatest TV ever seen... to shoite. Jericho was a poor champion, a weak champion.. and there was never any doubt in anybodys mind that Triple H would roll over him at WM. That said, Triple H's return at the Rumble had been awesome.. but the whole fake pregnancy? not so. And Steph really looks a slut at this point as a side note lol.
    
    Steve Austin was completely wasted on this show and I've never understood why. From being the biggest draw in wrestling just 6 months previously, Austin was reduced to facing Scott Hall (no disrespect to him) in an undercard match... why? Personally, I'd have gone for - Nash and Hall challenge for the tag titles, Hogan faces The Rock, Austin faces Triple H, Undertaker faces Ric Flair. THAT would have been a challenger to WrestleMania 17.
    
    But the show wasn't a complete disaster, The Rock and Hulk Hogan was as well built as Austin/Rock had been the year previously. Who can forget "Yes.... or no?", one of the great promos of the decade? the match was absolutely electric, a magnificent example of psychology and working a crowd. This was the final answer to the idiots who believe that the likes of American Dragon have what it takes to be stars. These two men held the crowd in their palm and, frankly, out of an average match in the ring, gave us an ICONIC match through the manipulation of the crowd and the audience. The told a story and THAT is what this business is all about.
    
    Often forgotten on the card tragically is the Undertaker vs Ric Flair. Another fantastically built match, I LOVED this heel Undertaker, demanding respect and taking it if he didn't get it. Taker was awesome in the run up to this match with his beat down of David Flair for example. The match is a great street fight, another example of great storytelling but in truth, also the best actual match on the card. I MARKED for the run-in of Arn Anderson in the match, that was a WrestleMania moment for me.
    
    The main event as I mentioned... was crap. The crowd burned themselves out with Hogan/Rock which should have main evented, but besides that.. it just wasn't a good match. I never believed Jericho stood a change and frankly... his ring attire was vile. This match really marked a MASSIVE downturn in the quality of the main events in WWE for about the next six months. We had the atrocious Triple H/Hogan and Hogan/Undertaker in the moths that followed and ratings plummeted.
    
    Over all.. a letdown of a WrestleMania, but maybe not as bad as many people remember.
    
    WrestleMania XIX the year later was a return to form and a big improvement all round. WWE once again were following that formula of the past two events - big arena, live music, even Limp Bizkit returned this time.
    
    Matt Hardy vs Rey Mysterio started us off if I remember and it was a great opening match, Limp Bizkit played Taker to the ring.. Fred Durst looking an absolute midget next to Taker.
    
    This was the first WWE branded PPV and the first with the two titles. The WWE Championship match was poorly and offensively built with a vaguely racist Angle built around Triple H and Booker T which I thought was beneath Triple H and Ric Flair and even if they'd gone there, Booker T had to win the blow off... which of course he didn't. This match really held little interest for me or anybody else as I remember, there were three other matches on the card of prime importance - Michaels vs Jericho, Lesnar vs Angle and Hogan vs McMahon.
    
    There was always a sense in the early days of HBK's return, as far up to this match at WM19 that we should expect too much from him, his back could give out at any moment and going into the event, although we expected a good match, we didn't think it'd be a classic as this was. This was the moment we realized "Michaels is truly back" The ending where Jericho kicked him in the balls was great storytelling again and really got Jericho over as a heel at that point.
    
    Lesnar vs Angle was a match where Lesnar had to step up, it was make or break for him. Luckily he and Angle had a great match but what everybody talks about is that final moment where Lesnar was supposed to win with the Shooting Star Press and botched it. There was complete shock both in chat and the arena, a moment of silence where the whole world thought "he's dead". Luckily he wasn't and recovered enough, Angle has the intelligence to work a finish on the fly and all was well, but that was nearly the worst possible moment in WrestleMania history.
    
    The big match promoted here however was McMahon vs Hogan, twenty years in the making. In one way, it would have been cool had they held this off to WM20 but as it was this was built fantastically with a lot of great promos from both Hogan and McMahon on who was really responsible for the success of WrestleMania. In WWE, few people really are as good at this type of street fight as Vince McMahon, he's really pretty much mastered it over the years. The ladder and bloody Vince with the pipe were both great moments but the return of Roddy Piper was just brilliant. Very similarly booked to Undertaker vs Flair the year before in many ways.
    
    One year later and the WWE was really up shit creek. Raw had been poor, SmackDown had descended into shit central and VWWE was closed nearly, my own interest in WWE was dwindling a little, one of the few saving graces WrestleMania XX on the horizon from the iconic Madison Square Garden.... but WWE really dropped the ball here. WrestleMania 20 should have been the greatest card of all time, yet like at WrestleMania 16 WWE decided to simply cram the card with as many people as possible. There were a few saving graces going in - Evolution vs Rock/Sock, Angle vs Eddie, The Triple Threat and Christian vs Jericho.
    
    Christian vs Chris Jericho had been one of WWE's better booked programs going into the event with Christian playing the Creepy Little Bastard to perfection, perving after Trish Stratus. It was an excellent match with a great swerve finish with Trish turning on Jericho... and watch this space for VWWE ripping that Angle off soon enough :)
    
    The Rock and Sock Connection vs Evolution was a match that let me down on a lot of levels and I know many in VWWE were angry about the match and in particular by the performance of The Rock and Mick Foley that was just not up to standard. A lot of backlash went against The Rock after this in some quarters while Mick salvaged a lot with his excellent match against Orton at Backlash. However, watching iMPACT this week and Mick's words about WrestleMania... fuck him. And talking of TNA wastes... Kurt Angle. In seriousness, Angle and Eddie were on top of their games at this point, it was the height of both men's careers and after the euphoria of Eddie Guerrero winning the title at No Way Out, I think a lot was expected of this match... and for me... it failed to deliver. The match was excellent and certainly one of the best on the card... but it wasn't quite the 5 star match we were expecting and it was something of a letdown as well. After 5 hours almost, I was tired and exhausted by the main event but what happened next certainly kept me awake.
    
    The triple threat WAS a 5/5 star match. I remember the early talk in the locker was about how awesome Triple H's combination of white boots and black trunks was... which gives you an idea how "Queer Eye" Sam was back in those days lol. The match was another masterclass and an answer to the critics who'd been out in force for Triple H for well over a year. What happened after the match however is something that has changed since then. When Eddie came out to congratulate Chris Benoit in 2004, it was a poetic finale to the show, the two friends who were like brothers after all these years, champions together at last. Now it's a symbol of tragedy, the two friends locked together by a fateful future. What was once the most joyous end to a WrestleMania, is now the saddest.
    
    WrestleMania 21 had a theme - Hollywood, despite not actually being held in Hollywood. The commercials for this WrestleMania were probably the best thing about it with the "You lookin a me" one actually helping to build up Batista's character at the time I think. My personnel favorite was Austin's Gladiator one, being a big fan of that film but the Braveheart one with Flair falling off the donkey was hilarious. The event itself really marked the beginning of a new generation in WWE with Randy Orton, John Cena and Batista all in prominent singles matches for the first time.
    
    The build before the show was all about Batista, it had been going on for about six months and was the best turn WWE probably ever did. It was so subtle and Batista and Triple H played it to perfection, each week Tista got a little bit further away from Evolution. When he finally turned and powerbombed Triple H through that table, a viewing audience cheered in unison. It really seemed that Batista was the next big thing at this point, everybody was behind him. Unfortunately after his 3-0 winning streak over Triple H he got sent to SmackDown and was found out very quickly, he never reached these heights again which says a lot about Triple H's fantastic ability and is the final word to people who believe Helmsley wont do what's right for the business.
    
    Batista's victory was met with a massive response.. but on the undercard, Cena's wasn't. At this time Cena was over as a face, not to Batista's level at that time but certainly over. His win over JBL was more expected I think, the program was nowhere near as good, the crowd were bored of JBL as champion, the match was atrocious for a World title match at WrestleMania and Cole completely, as usual, failed to get the moment and its significance across. The Cena era started with a whimper.
    
    Elsewhere on the card Undertaker downed Randy Orton in a great match that's started their excellent feud and Shawn Michaels faced Kurt Angle in the match of the night, Shawn against stealing the show. To be honest though, I cant remember off the top of my head who won here, I'm pretty certain it was Angle but I wouldn't bet on it. I could go and look it up on Wiki... but I'll leave it lol.
    
    WrestleMania 21 marked a move back away from the big arenas that had made WrestleMania's 17 to 19 so great, 20 being excepted due to it being MSG and WrestleMania 21 to me always seems far smaller and less grand than many other manias, even WrestleMania 22 which was at just a small arena.
    
    WrestleMania 22 marked WWE with the Cena era in full swing and again, this isn't one of my favorite WrestleMania's. The Edge vs Mick Foley match was the highlight and an excellent match as Mick always manages in that environment, nothing less was expected. There were some great touches with the barbed wire, fire and Lita and it probably stole the show. However, there was some crap here too - the Boogeyman's involvement, Undertaker being landed with Mark Henry, Rey Mysterio winning the World title. Cena vs Triple H was excellent and I remember everybody was rooting for Triple H, having turned on Cena in the proceeding year... yet Cena won. Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon was another excellent match.. yet with two street fights on the card, it may have been overbooking in retrospect. Though the elbow off the ladder onto the trash canned Vince = WrestleMania moment. At the time I was caught in the atmosphere of WrestleMania and the good points outweighed the bad... but in retrospect, this was an average WrestleMania I'm sad to now say. The theme song rawked though, it was also the first web era WrestleMania for VWWE.
    
    WrestleMania 23 felt somewhat different to WrestleMania 22 to me, it was nearer WrestleMania's 17 -19 in terms of scale. WWE went back to the big arenas for it and the build up was brilliant. I've always put over the three months of Raw prior to WrestleMania 23 as some of the best Raw's ever and I still think that. With Cena, Orton, Edge and Michaels, the four of them gave us great match after great match in the build to Mania that year, coupling that with The Donald and you already had a great lineup and in truth, I was a little disappointed when Orton and Edge were put in the MITB as I thought they deserved to be in singles action after their awesome performances.
    
    Undertaker vs Batista was again, very well built on SmackDown.. even if nobody believed for a moment Batista stood a chance. Undertaker winning the title was an added bonus. Much of the build however surrounded that hair vs hair match. The less said about Bobby Lashley the better but the match was decent enough, an enjoyable clusterfuck and the crowd got what they wanted with Vince being shaved, a nice added epilogue to the McMahon/Austin feud.
    
    Much like WrestleMania 22 the main event featured John Cena, as a face, squaring off against a man who most people wanted to beat him, this time Shawn Michaels. Original plan seemed to be Triple H vs John Cena again but Helmsley of course got injured. This was really the best opportunity WWE had to put the belt on Michaels at a time most fans believed he deserved it, a lot of people thought he'd win... but no. Excellent match however and the trend of great main events continued. WrestleMania 23 was overall an excellent PPV... the feel and format of which WWE's again followed last year at WrestleMania 24 and again tonight for WrestleMania 25.
    
    WrestleMania 24 is probably my favorite WrestleMania since WrestleMania 17. The outdoors nature gave it a unique look and the set looked absolutely awesome as well. Those great images of the pyro,  a lot of the entrances couldn't have been done indoors. A decent opener from Finlay and JBL, nothing spectacular but it warmed the crowd up. The MITB, which I haven't mentioned at all this blog, was fucking amazing. Remember that Morrison bump? and Kennedy with the Green Bay Plunge to Hornswoggle? Batista vs Umaga = passable and Kane defeating Chavo, while disrespectful possibly to Chavo... was funny as hell.
    
    But now it was down to serious business - namely Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels. When thinking of my favorite match of all time... I can't think of anything better than this. Is it either mans best match? no. Was it the best ACTUAL wrestling match of 2008? no. Was it probably the best wrestling match of the decade? oh yes. This was about spectacle, about that storytelling and that psychology. That image of Ric Flair getting up, begging Michaels to finish it and Shawn telling Ric he loved him before pulling the trigger was THEE most memorable moment in the history of WrestleMania for me personally. For most its probably Hogan slamming Andre or some huge moment... this was so different. Subtle almost, quiet.. but just as emotional. It was the death of a career and an era, Michaels and Flair told the perfect story, the perfect ending to a perfect career and no true wrestling fan can have watched that without a mix of emotions. Delight that Flair had gone out in such style, sadness that it was all over and so much more. A rollercoaster and in my humble opinion, the greatest 30 minutes in WrestleMania history and why these two men are and were peerless in this industry.
    
    The Triple Threat was excellent and somewhat unexpected as I think many believed Orton would lose the title, The Undertaker and Edge giving us a hell of a main event, definitely deserving of the spot after Taker got bumped last year, winning the title for the second year in a row.
    
    Like WrestleMania 23, much of the hype and advertising centered on the celebrity involvement - this year being Floyd Mayweather Jnr. I'd always been a fan of Floyd, getting even bigger when he beat the crap out of the annoying Ricky Hatton. Mayweather and Big Show were excellent in the run up to the event I thought, building it like they would a boxing contest. Celebrities either "get" it.. or they don't, Pete Rose for example "got it" as did Kevin Federline and Mike Tyson all those years ago, while other celebrities remain aloof backstage and believe they're above the business. Mayweather luckily "got it" and was said to be very willing to learn and very sociable. Mayweather totally performed above my expectations and his match may actually be my favorite celebrity match of them all.
    
    So... there ya go, my memories of WrestleMania. I expect WrestleMania 25 will follow the format of the past two years and I think we've seen that already - big arena, big set, celebrity, big matches, well built. The event is fitting into a predefined template almost and now at the 25th anniversary, is truly... the Superbowl of Wrestling.

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• WWF History: January 13, 1997

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Welcome back to my review of WWE history which started last week on January 6, 1997. I wount recap any of that... you can read it below :)
    
    We are now however just one week away from the Royal Rumble so this is the go home show. In the world outside wrestling, the past week we saw the TV debut of King of the Hill, the box office hits were The Relic... which i mentioned last week, still haven't seen if it was any good or not, Scream and Jerry McGuire still being big. For a quick link to 2009, Bruce Springsteen also sang an awesome song on the soundtrack to Jerry McGuire as he did The Wrestler called Secret Garden. An awesome song. Your billboard number one was still Unbreak My Heart while in the UK... no change either, still the Spice Girls and 2 become 1.
    
    Random fact for January 97.. the biggest selling video game in the US was Super Mario 64 while the SNES was still shifting units, Donkey Kong Country 2 one of the top games in the charts.
    
    On with the show.
    
    We start with a recap from last week of Sycho Sids attack on Jose Lotharios son last week and a look at Superstars where Stone Cold attacked Bret Hart, apparently Shawn will join us live from San Antonio. Not much of a preview but as we kick off the show Hunter Herst Helmsley is entering the ring... his theme rawked :D
    
    Honky Tonk Man is on commentary, still looking for a protege.... sigh. Like it was ever gunna be Triple H lol (the business would have been quite different if it had been) his opponent will be Marc Mero. Sable gets the pop. She didn't look as slutty in these early days lol.
    
    We now notice that Jerry Lawler is prepped to fight at ringside. There's no explanation for this but it appears this is in fact a tag match as Goldusts coming out (no pun intended). So our match is in fact Jerry Lawler and Helmsley vs Goldust and Marc Mero. Its quite shocking this isn't made clear by Vince on commentary to be honest.
     
    Goldust pairs off with Trips, Lawler with Mero and the faces clean house, King telling the crowd to shut up. Honkey is decent on color commentary, i'm surprised he was never offered a perminant spot. Vince plugs Shawn being live from San Antonio and tonights matches - Undertaker vs Crush (that'll draw...) and somebody called Rocky Maivia versus The British Bulldog.
    
    "Shades of Sugar Ray Leonard" - Vince on Marc Mero. That's almost Michael Cole like lol
    
    I actually liked Mero in his early WCW days as Johnny B. Badd, the Mero character i always found bland and colorless, it was only Sable that kept him employed so long. Vince plugs whats coming up once more and this is one of the problems i have with the commentary on this show and last weeks, Vince, King and now Honky don't talk about the action in the ring half as much as they should do. They're either off topic, talking about whats coming or recapping whats been. Its fantastic watching the early days of Triple H, there's no way i'd believe this man would in 2009 be giving performances like he has been doing alongside Randy orton or become as successful as he has been. Just think thouigh, this was 12 years ago... just imagine how good Randy Orton will be in 12 years? its a staggering thought.
    
    Commercials. So far... i'd have turned to Nitro. This is a poor match to kick off Raw with. Nitro always started their show usually with a lucha match to excite the crowd, smart booking. This match would only have served to turn me over to TNT. Once again, the attitude era ideas are here but not fully here yet. Goldust was DQd and he's facing Trips on Sunday at the Rumble allegedly. Triple H is also Intercontinental Champion apparently, this fact not being mentioned until the match is over. This show in January 1997 is completely frustrating.
    
    Shawn is in San Antonio, we go live, there's a hot chick behind him. He is in high spirits.
    
    Rather worryingly at this point, we go to Sycho Sid who's in the empty Alamo Dome. Sid uses the exact same quote Michael Shane used on VWWE Raw this week from Neitziche about "he who fights monsters". Now thats just a weird coincidence. Sid gives his quietly mad promo, a very good one. Sid was underestimated on the mic, a lot of the time he could cut a very good heel promo as he does here, coming across as genuinely dangerous and unbalanced... which he probably was. Sid mentions HBK's family being at ringside and watching as Sid destroys HBK. Excellent go home promo from Sid.
    
    Back to Shawn for a second before we get a Taker/Crush graphic, commercials, back to Shawn amidst fans somewhere in San Antonio, fans mob Shawn. We get another replay of Sid/Lothario last week. 
    
    Shawn gives a equally good promo, putting over San Antonio and Texas. One thing that strikes me again here is how natural all the promos are compared with today, these are neither not scripted at all or the Superstars have just been given vague instructions, they barely seem scripted at all. In one way, thats good as its far more natural but equally you probably would never be able to have gotten highly scripted segments like Orton/Triple H at this point in time. It really did mean that you had to get by on your own talent and not the talent of a Hollywood writer though.
    
    HBK namechecks Stalin... possibly his only ever reference on WWE TV lol, gives the old favorite teeth down the throat line and adds that Sid will see them next morning in his stool sample... classic. Shawn directly talks to Vince as the Chairman which wasn't being acknowledged at this time.
    
    Back live we get the screech and beats - it's Bret, limping out after Steve Austins attack yesterday on Superstars. Steve is still been treated as a full blown heel at this point which seems odd to watch to be honest.
    
    Commercials. Quick flick back to Shawn, that cute chick pressed against him, fans everywhere, some have beer and HBK puts up the Hook-em Horns. Can there be any doubt that HBK was THEE man in 1997? lol
    
    In the arena, the Bulldog is in the ring. One of the first things you really notice is that physique which was essentially the death of him, its rare to see somebody that size now but was pretty common back then pre-Attitude when look became secondary.
    
    "I think Rocky has shown more promise than any wrestler i've ever seen in the World Wrestling Federation" - Bret Hart... see, he did once talk sense. Rocks haircut was a farce though, very mid-90s. Rocky had only been in the WWF two months at this point, it'll be a treat watching his career progress over this blog series. We get a recap from Shotgun Saturday of an altercation between Rocky and Marc Mero. Rocky looks bigger than the image we're all more familiar with at this point.
    
    Bret on commentary is a classic example of why the double turn at WrestleMania 13 happened. Bret is complaining that guys like Steve Austin are trying to end his career and it comes across as very whiny. In the 80s and early 90s it would have been a fine face interview, but from this point on when you have the tough Steve Austin, coupled with the change in attitude i mentioned in my Attitude blog, this isn't what the fans wated to hear.
    
    Bret makes a few references to Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia, always nice to see history referenced, guess this is history within history. Honky Tonk Man suggests Bret could be his new protege... which is plainly absurd. The fact this angles getting so much air time is as well considering who eventually he selects. Waste of time imo.
    
    We get a ringside shot.. wonder where Raw was tonight, they look rather inbred. Here comes Owen Hart with his slammys to boos which his puts on the announce desk in front of Bret.... break.
     
    The Bulldog is in control, of this match, some of those nice arm drags from Rocky. Some nice near falls for Maivia.... here's Austin - Stunner to the Bulldog, fingers to Bret, Owen chases after him. Rocky wins via countout. Probably the first time The Rock and Stone Cold ever appeared together on TV.
    
    There's a Rocky chant and frankly... it sounds fake lol
    
    The Nation is backstage, Faarooq was fucking brilliant in this role as the leader of the Nation. Crush... really didn't fit.... here's Taker, an entrance that was just as awesome then as now. We cut back to Shawn in San Antonio, go to commercials.
    
    Back live, the Nation are coming out, the rappers rawked, this is pure attitude era here as was the Crush character that played on his real life jail time. Taker attacks Crush in the aisle, the Nation scatter, Faarooq looks pissed.
    
    The Undertaker had that ginger beard he has now back then, his costume very much the Phenom also, has that tear on the cheek... which is emo well before it's time. Vader suddenly appears on stage looking on at the match.. and that's our que for another break.
    
    After the break we get a Starburst sponsored rewind showing us Austins attack earlier. Live however, Crush is in control of Taker. Taker fails to Tombstone Crush... but hits the Chokeslam and the Nation storm the ring to mob the Underatker, Vader runs in and its a beat down on the Deadman, the Nation move Taker to the ropes and Vader hits the Vader Bomb on the Deadman. The bell rings frantically as Vader goes up again... second Vader Bomb.... and here's AHmed Johnson with a 2x4, stolen by Faarooq... and down goes Johnson. Faarooq smashes Ahmed in the back with the wood... and that's your show. A decent ending that promoted the Vader/Undertaker match and the Johnson/Faarooq feud, i think they'll fight at the Rumble, i'm not sure, not watching or reviewing Superstars or Shotgun Saturday obviously a slight issue. I think in these days Raw really wasn't seen as the flagship as it is today, that really didn't come in until Raw is War and the two hour format, so angles are spread out over the three shows.
    
    Although it was a strong ending.. again, i don't think highly of this episode. The oepning match was a bore. Sid and HBK gave strong go home promos however.. yet i don't see why they kept going back to Shawn after he'd said his piece, again, like last week, it seems a waste of time on a show that can't afford to be doing it. Austin was underutilized again but Rocky Maivia got his first run out of the year in a decent encounter with Bulldog. Feuds were advanced certainly.. but there's wasn't much to get excited about and i doubt this show would have persuaded me to buy the Rumble - 6/10.
    
    Next time... i'll be reviewing the Royal Rumble 1997, the first PPV of the year that will lead us to WrestleMania 13 :D

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 44
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• Saliva - Hunt You Down

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    The official theme song for No Way Out

  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 124
  • Not yet rated

• Michael Shane: No Line on the

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Hey, Michael Shane here, public enemy number two according to the PTC.
    
    This is one of those times i really haven't any one particular thing to say but feel the need to blog anyway. As it currently is I'm here in Tampa with everybody else as we get set for a live event tonight.. a house show as they used to be known.
    
    I'm feeling pretty under the weather to be honest as a few of the boys seem to have been over the past few days.... maybe it was something i ate. Jeff Hardy looks into my screen and tries to write "HAHA" but it's very probably true, when you're stuck in a car in the Florida heat with The Big Show, Suffering and CM Punk like i was yesterday, show filling the car with a mixture of the vile smell of McDonalds and methane gas.... you're bound to catch something.
    
    Anyway, the show must go on and although I'll be "selling" my injuries on TV and not having another match on Raw till No Way Out, I'll still be on all the house shows, giving the fans what they came to see - me lol. My opponent tonight will be none other than Punk, the man who i pretty much made my name against 7 years ago in Ring of Honor. We've both come a long way since those days and its a great pleasure to get back in the ring with him. As an added little bonus a certain Samoan TNA star has made the short trip up from Orlando and will be in the front row.... I'd best watch that guy, he's still sulking about what happened at Genesis.
    
    The long trip down here though gave me a chance to listen to the new album by U2. Any longtime Michael Shane fans will probably know of my love for the band which is why i was a little disappointed on first listen of No Line on the Horizon. I think with all the hype that the band had given the album, i was expecting classic U2 and another Joshua Tree when after one listen i was convinced this was another Zooropa and nothing but a disaster.... however... this is one of those albums that NEEDs a second, third and fourth listen because every time i listen to it, it seems to get better and better. Don't get me wrong, this is far from being the Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby or even as good as All The You Cant Leave Behind or How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, but this IS classic U2. There's no real standout track, no big epic song like Beautiful Day but personally, i think there's a lot to be said for the title track - No Line on the Horizon which kicks off a fine opening trio of songs, following it with Magnificent and Moment of Surrender. I love Unknown Caller as well even though it's a very different sound to what you usually expect from U2 i think. A worthy 8/10 or two and three quarters of a thumb up.
    
    I hope it's true about us trying to get U2 for WrestleMania 25 as I'd just mark the fuck out for that. And if they made a second appearance for us... surely U2 would be a dead cert for the Hall of Fame? lol
    
    Last and certainly least i really need to address something that i read online this week. I had the great misfortune to read on WWE.com that L Brent Bozell, the leader (Fuhrer) of the Parents Television Council had issued complains to the company and advertisers concerning the angle between Suffering/The Gathering and myself at the Royal Rumble. His claim being that the angle was violent, unnecessary and a step beyond the bounds of decency. That children and those of a sensitive nature could be hurt by what they saw. You know the deal.
    
    Idiot.
    
    Mr Bozell unfortunately is from the section of our society who are arrogant enough to believe that they can dictate to the rest of us what is and what is not morally acceptable. The kind of people who believe that our minds need to be controlled by religion and dreams of sweet salvation or we'll all descend into barbarism. In short, Mr Bozell is a religious nut.  
    
    Ignoring the fact that religion kills hundreds of thousands around the world every year, i continue...
    
    I firmly believe that the biggest threat to the United States in 2009 is not the threat posed by outside forces such as those of Islamic extremism or Communist China, rather the biggest threat to the peace, security and democracy that all out forefathers fought and died for is from within out own borders. For too long not the religious right, a group to which this man belongs, has been gaining a foothold in public life. The Presidency of George W Bush, who for the record i believe at heart to have been a good man, however allowed individuals like Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin to so nearly ascend to the highest position in the land. When individuals such as these, Rush Limburgh and Bozell are allowed to actively encourage the curtailing of our freedoms and repeal of civil rights, what hope can we possibly have of extending democracy outside our own borders?
    
    The right to freedom of expression, what this company engages in EVERY week, is one that is written in our constitution and one for which i would proudly defend to my death. I believe that the people of this great nation want to stand as free citizens, free to choose what is morally acceptable for them themselves without people like the PTC telling them they are wrong. In the case of children watching... quite frankly we were on PPV with a TV-14 rating, it is not our responsibility to act as a guardian. Its the parents responsibility to make sure that their children are not watching something unsuitable.
    
    WWE is an art form, but its a violent one. Blood, sweat and tears are shed every week, bones are broken, egos run rampant. Its not always pretty. Why should this company tone down its product and be forced to talk down to an adult audience simply because a small number of people complain or because parents cannot take responsibility for their product? WWE is adult entertainment and i would suggest to anybody that is offended by the Royal Rumble that they stop watching because having spoken to Vince McMahon, he has no intention of toning down his product and rightly so.
    
    Well, rant over. Think i'm getting roid rage? lol
    
    Anyway, here's Punk, better dash, he'll need every spot laying out as usual :)
    
    Laters peeps
    
    Oh and PS....
    
    Fuck you Vince Russo, you're a disgrace to my city and my profession.

  • Audio blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 49
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• Alvarez's View: Royal Rumble r

  • From: JohnCena
  • Description:

    How's it going everybody, Bryan Alvarez back again with you and here with a review of WWE's big PPV from this past Sunday, the Royal Rumble. Now straight off the bat, I have to say this is one of the strongest shows I've seen from the company in such a long time. My inbox has been full of reader feedback to the show, and I'm still struggling to pick out anything negative.

    Nice to see WWE's production values aren't being hampered by the economic downturn as a side note, the opening video was as spectacular as ever, no-one can touch WWE in this department in my opinion.

    The opening tag match....great match, wrong finish. I wrote in my preview about how Rock has made noises about being in this tandem with Foley again, and it showed in places, but apart from that, these four worked very well. However, where my qualm comes is with the vets going over. Credit to WWE, Rhodes and DiBiase got in some very solid offense throughout, and were made to look strong, but for Rock to kick out of the DDT...wrong move, I think, if WWE really wants to get these young guys over they should've had one kick out of either the Rock Bottom or whatever Foley does these days. I personally don't see where WWE are going after this, unless they're planning the old partner breakup. A Rock heel turn would be something fresh, although Vince bottled it a while back. (2 1/4 *)

    I wasn't too sure about the Shane/Nitro promo but the one after that really blew me away. I'm not usually one for WWE having long promos on PPV's because that's what RAW's for, building up the angles, but this was well done. As I've said, I'm not sure where this Jeff angle is going, but this really got the fans behind him. Primal was great playing the antagonist as well, top marks to both guys here.

    Simmons and Mysterio...I really enjoyed this, these two had some great chemistry in the ring and I wouldn't be surprised to see something between the two after WrestleMania. The injury angle was nicely done, something WWE haven't done in a long time and it certainly gives them tons of options concerning Primal and the Intercontinental Title. (3*)

    Santino's really finding his niche in WWE, his promos are standing out even more now WWE are moving towards this much 'darker' vibe. The stable tease with Orton was well done as well, although not overly played so that the audience suspected the involvement later on.

    Assasain and Regal had a really good match, Regal's influence in the ring really told against the youngster who, in my estimation, really made a name for himself here. The No DQ angle was done nicely, again not overplayed by WWE and thus made effective, and the post-match angle, with the punt...really good work, a real sense of development between Assasain and Orton. (3*)

    Forxx cutting himself in a promo? I was a little uncomfortable with the use of a knife in a promo, especially with the self-harm undertones but it certainly struck a chord. Suffering's promo that followed...short, effective and very interesting.

    Next match was Primal and Jeff Hardy, solid match between the two as expected, not a great deal different from their feud from last year but that's not a bad thing at all. Thing I really liked here though was, watching on TV, hearing J.R really out over Jeff's conflicting emotions which is what this angle is all about, no-one can get an angle over like Jim Ross and I hope WWE really run with this one.(2 1/2*)

    I think the next segment may contain the most visual image you will ever see in a WWE ring. I also think it's one that will be replayed for years to come. I'd heard Shane and Suffering had been planning an angle but I wasn't too sure what, I was expecting nothing more than the verbals they had. It's a testament to Vince McMahon, though, that they had the balls to go through with what they did. I've seen article after article from outraged parents, censorship groups and anti-wrestling bodies condemning this angle, and that's just what WWE like - people talking about their product, I got no end of texts within seconds about it, Vinny was marking out considerably. And that's what this did. The image of a man being hung, his blood pouring onto a welcoming human being below, is almost biblical in its' presentation. I think a lot of people are comparing it to the Raven crucifix angle in ECW many years ago. This was that, multiplied by 100. It's one of those moments that transcends generations, and it instantly made both Suffering and Shane the hottest commodities in the business today. One can't forget the involvement of the young Sergio Griffon, yet more talent elevation by WWE, but the two main protaganists could well eclipse the main event at WrestleMania, and that's saying something.

    The next match was basically eclipsed as a result and I like that, Ross playing it up fantastically once again, the involvement of Flair and Steamboat was good as well. Morrison and Nebraska as tag champs with an attitude? A good choice, WWE are building the tag division back up towards its glory days in late 2005 I believe, there's an angle brewing somewhere with the legends and these young guns too. (2*)

    Vince as the frustrated half-owner = buys. I'm liking Kane's new character as well, the maniac returning, he and Forxx could really develop something if given time although I'm yet to be convinced of its worth as a WrestleMania angle/match.

    Primal and Mysterio for the IC Title was exactly what you want from a big man/little man match, Rey allowed plenty of offense but Primal really allowed to show what he's capable of, something I think we need to see more of, and probably will soon. Whether Mysterio remains in the title picture...I'm not sure because of the Primal/Simmons deal but we'll see, WWE have more sense than to under-use a talent like him. (3*)

    Three promos from three men who are up there with the best these days, Cena, Orton and Nightmare, and I was impressed by all of them. I really like where WWE have gone with Cena, a lot more serious than before the heel turn, got the point of being a hunted man across well. Orton...not much more to say, the man is on such form these days he's pretty much untouchable with a microphone. Nightmare? Thought WWE might make more of his on-screen return, save it for his Rumble entrance but no, a tease with Vince. I've not heard about any plans for a match, but who knows.

    The Elimination Chamber is one of those matches which, if done right, can make every man in the match. This certainly did that. Last time out, at SummerSlam, WWE made the top guys but neglected MVP, arguably the one most in need of a push. Here, everyone got the rub. The inclusion of Michaels made the in-ring stuff incredibly watchable, and really brought the crowd to life at points, his energy in the ring, at his age, always makes great matches. Kane and Forxx further advanced their angle, which I liked, and having Kane in the final three really adds to the credibility he's been recieving lately. Undertaker was fantastic in his role, but his elimination by Orton....there's an angle waiting there, so I believe. Orton was once again fantastic, and Cena was booked correctly. I know of many people in the industry who have critiscised Cena recently, but I've got nothing but praise for his performance here. He'll run with the ball to WrestleMania, no doubt. Overall, a fantastic match, some brutal spots. A real MOTY contender. (4 1/4*)

    The Orton and Taker angle was well done, further adding to their interaction in the Chamber, and we finally got the mini-payoff with Assasain joining forces with Orton. Time will tell whether the plan is to simply keep Orton and Cena in a program alone, but I for one wouldn't mind seeing Undertaker involved somehow. WrestleMania 25 will also feature Steve Austin in some form so it seems, I fully expect the angle taking him out of the Rumble and being replaced with HBK to be followed up on.

    Austin/Michaels? I'll leave that one hanging.

    And then we ended with the Royal Rumble, a match that is impossible to screw up, no matter how hard one can try. Here...WWE did very well, so many stories coming out of the match as there always is, a lot of stuff to follow up on. HBK's non-elimination is a nice angle and I'm sure we'll see something develop there. Batista returning was a great boost to WWE's upper-level roster, a fresh face on the scene, he wasn't allowed to stick around long and I think that makes sense, no need to rush him into the title picture just yet. More advancement between Orton/Undertaker, really interesting, at this moment in time it seems like we'll get that, or some variation perhaps involving this new stable, down the line. Assasain's involvement and the steel chair certainly gives WWE something to run with as far as Undertaker's revenge goes. More elevation for Suffering too, lasting I think the longest in the match. And Mickey Rourke? Quite obviously WWE's seemingly now annual celebrity angle heading towards WrestleMania. It's a good choice, Vince is hooking his wagon to a movie that's EVERYWHERE right now, and I think Nightmare needs this kind of match at WrestleMania, if proposed angles are followed through.(4 1/2*)

    The winner? The right choice. A few people have been moaning about having Orton/Cena at WrestleMania again, but in my eyes there's no-one hotter in the company than Orton. Of course...there's lots of time to go between now and April, and No Way Out is a few weeks away, so Vince could dramatically change his plans. But for me, Orton and Cena at WrestleMania 25 is as perfect a situation they could hope for right now.

    That's all from me for this week, I'll be back after Monday's RAW to give you my review of the show, discuss where WWE are going next and bring you all the latest news from the comapny. Feel free to drop me any feedback, and I'll see you next time.

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 53
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• Sergio Griffon's Royal Rumble

  • From: Sergio_Griffon
  • Description:

    Sorry I didn't do this earlier guys, I didn't even think to do it lol. Well here goes...

     

    So there I was. Backstage at the Royal Rumble. The place was buzzing. Young stars such as myself equally anticipant as the more experienced members of the locker room such as 'Taker. I decided to catch up with a few guys I hadn't seen for a while due to my time on ECW. I first talked with Assassin and wished him well as we are both still good mates. As we bade each other farewell I was stopped by Ryan Simmons who gave me a few tips for the upcoming Rumble match. As we parted company I decided to go and do a few simple stretches and warm up before my segment. While doing this I was approached by Suffering and we went over some last minute details of our segment. He also confirmed no one knew what was going to happen or that I was even going to be involved. As he left and we wished each other luck the Rumble was starting. You could hear "Let it Rock" loud and clear backstage and it was a fantastic moment in my young career.

    I then went to go and watch the first few matches of the PPV alone but was shocked to see Forxx sitting at the TV. I decided it was best not to bother him and so said nothing as I sat down and began watching. Soon enough my mate Assassin's match versus William Regal was on. No one could have seen what was coming at the climax of that match even after his and Randy's brilliant promo.

    Forxx had left by this stage to finish his warm up (I presume lol) and so it was just me watching the match on this particular TV. Still shocked I remembered I had a segment to do yet. I dashed into the locker room to grab my baseball bat and just had time to get down near the ramp as Michael Shane's music was fading out. It was an eager few moments for me. My first segment at a major PPV event. I suddenly thought about what I was about to do and for the first time actual fear set in. Were there going to be consequences for this next act? I pushed the thoughts out of my head and raced down the ramp to smash Michael Shane's head open. While it may seem odd it was an exhilirating experience, as I picked up the cable and hung Shane 8 feet above the ring and watched Suffering bathe in his blood.

    As I headed backstage after the segment I had a million emotions running through me. Suffering caught up and told me I did great out there. I was thankful but still unsure. I headed to the showers where I decided I'd calm my nerves and conscience with the hot water. It helped a bit. I caught up with Assassin not long after and we both congratulated the other on their respective pushes. We said our farewells again and departed. I met up with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase who were still sour about their loss to The Rock 'n Sock Connection. We sat down and watched the Elimination Chamber as a group. It was truly a brilliant match, no question about that.

    Then...It was time for...The ROYAL RUMBLE!!                                                                                          

    I was as nervous as I had ever been. Time seemed to fly from the beginning of the match until my entry. I vaguely remember Suffering wishing me luck but thats it. Suddenly I was in the ring wrestling my heart out. I decided to bring a lil' bit of ECW to the match as I would not be returning for a while. The table proved to be my downfall, Kane throwing me through it perfectly shattering the wood. It went as perfectly as I could've hoped. I went backstage and had another shower. I was out in time to see the end of the match as everyone was watching it backstage. A long sigh swept the room when HBK was eliminated then a deathly silence ascended when 'Taker was thrown over the top rope. Of course no one was too displeased at Randy winning it, he had a brilliant match.

    All in all it was a truly spectacular, obscenely wonderful PPV. Pushes were given, alliances made and championships retained. I was pleased at my performance and the fact that I had been made a part of a powerful team in the WWE. Learning under Suffering will no doubt be a hard and gruelling task, but no doubt a rewarding one as well. It shall be a fantastic experience, with titles surely soon to come.

    Congratulations to All on a great night. Get well rested Ryan Simmons, we will no doubt meet sometime in the future and I wan you at your peak when that time comes.

    Again, well done to all...

    -Sergio Griffon

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 38
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• Michael Shane's 7th WWE Theme:

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Michael Shane's newest and current theme, fitting his new angle with Suffering perfectly. AFI - Miseria Cantare

  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 77
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• Michael Shane's 5th WWE Theme:

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    One of two "classic" Shane themes, Kanye West - Stronger

  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 45
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• Michael Shane's 2nd WWE Theme:

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Andrew WK: Ready To Die, used during Michael Shane's MNM days with John Morrison and Melina

  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 60
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• Michael Shane's 1st WWE Theme:

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Michael Sahne's Theme from his WWE debut - Bruce Springsteen: Born in the USA. Also used in IVW.

  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 39
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• Vince Russo: The voice from TN

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    Yeah, yeah, the Royal Rumble was great, really really great.
    
    Marks.
    
    Let me tell ya something, before the powers that be remove this blog, the Royal Rumble was NOTHING but a poorly constructed ass kissing of the marks that make up "Vince Mcmahon TV"s little audience.
    
    Injury angle, let me guess, that chick at ringside is gunna be stolen by Primal while Ryans recouperating... PURLEASE.
    
    Mysterio... he cant speak English can he? whatever, Mexicans have no place on TV, people want to see AMERICANS. Buy American, watch American. Japanese and Mexican crap has no place on my TV. Stars like Kurt Angle and Sting are what people want to see.
    
    What was next? i cant even remenber because my mind was NUMB by this point.... oh yeah, that's right.... Assassin does a Mick Foley impression. Was the punt supposed to be "smart", to show psychology? it was lame. People dont just change their lives like that like a switch going on and off. Nobody wants to see evil heels and perfect babyfaces, its such a dead concept. So 80s.
    
    Regal is worthless. So he can "wrestle" .. whats THAT supposed to mean? so can Bryan danielson and he looks like he has AIDs. NOT ON MY TV,THANK YOU!
    
    Jeff Hardy... this is WWE trying to be "cool" and present an emo character
    
    Primal... WOAH, THE WARRIOR WANTS HIS GIMMICK BACK
    
    And now we come to the bullshit amongst bullshit, something for all the mark kids to try out tomorrow, to say "heeey, dat wuz so coolz!!!"
    
    Michael "i wish i was Flair" Shane and Suffering, a Raven wannabe, engaged in something that had i done it, id have bee vilified for. Im just WAITING for the first kid to be found dangling with his head cut open, for some pathetic prick to try this shit out. Learn responsibility.
    
    Nebraska and Morrison, standard fare, usual arrogant gimmick. Cheap heat. Heat went out of this PPV with the Gathering angle. Steamboat... he still alive then? get these VETERANS off your show Vince.
    
    Primal/Rey, whatever.
    
    Eliminaation Chamber, stupid idea they ripped off MY idea for Hell in a Cell, MY creation, though do i get credit? nope. Anyway, we got the crap 80s babyface Cena and the stale Shawn Michaels battling for what seemed an eternity. Nobody wants to sit though a match that lasts 30/40 minutes, more matches, quicker paced, unique finishes, thats what matters. I dont think we had a single run in at this event.
    
    And the Royal Rumble... well was that a mistake? Orton vs Cena again?
    
    Well at least you're giving TNA a chance to beat you again this year like when we BEAT your ECW show last year. This PPV was nothing but a series of spots and incidents to please the WWE fanboys.
    
    Thats my opinion.
    
    Peace
    
    Vince Russo (New Yoik)

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 42
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• Aftermath

  • From: JohnCena
  • Description:

    Yup...the champ's still here

    It feels great to type that on so many levels but I'll get to that in a bit, I wanna try and give you some insight into just what went down yesterday, because to me, it was nothing more than a blur.

    We all knew going into the match that we had to knock it out the park, but I don't think any of us have grasped just what we've done yet. I certainly haven't, and I've spoken with Shawn and I know he hasn't. I met up with him yesterday afternoon after a meeting with Vince and he was just so calm and relaxed, even though he's been out for so long he had no doubts in his own ability.

    'You'll be fine, kid'

    Working with Shawn in the Chamber was just incredible, I honestly have to put it up there with winning the WWE Title for the first time and beating Hulk Hogan as one of the greatest moments of my career. Shawn helped mold me throughout my career, and still does, he's one of the guys I look to in that locker room if something's on my mind.

    To be stood across the ring from him at the Royal Rumble inside the Elimination Chamber....pure magic, despite the whole gimmick I really felt we clicked, he's just such a creative and calming prescence. I gotta say, I was bricking it out there because I know how Shawn likes to call his spots on the fly.

    I sound like such a kissarse. But seriously, maybe one day down the line we'll see Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena. Who knows.

    As I said, the day was pretty much a blur, but one of the coolest bits was watching the Michael Shane/Suffering angle play out, I was in Vince's office with Gerwitz and Shane McMahon watching it and I honestly think that's shattered the glass ceiling for both those guys, Joe really deserves it after his recent work and Mick...well, he's just Mick.

    (I jest, I'll buy you that pina colada you've been pestering me for, great stuff)

    After that....well, I did my stuff and that was pretty much that, I've just finished watching the tape that Morten lent me and the rest of the show went down great, locker room morale's apparently sky-high right now, although that may be down to Jeff and RVD's *disclaimer: anecdote censored*

    I usually stick around after my match, be it RAW or on PPV, but last night I just couldn't. I got through the curtain, got a few thanks from the boys, thanked Vince(who looked ridiculous in his wrestling attire, it must be said) and headed for the trainer's room, then left. It didn't feel right to stick around last night, I was in a state of mind that really didn't want me mixing with the rest of the guys.

    This time last year, I was wrestling Hulk Hogan in Madison Square Gardens....last night, I defended the WWE Title in the Elimination Chamber. One year is a helluva long time in wrestling, and I needed some time to comprehend that. So I didn't sit backstage and watch the Rumble, I went straight back to my hotel room. And I sat on the edge of my bed, WWE Title in my lap, and thought about.....

    Well....about everything, basically.

    Give a man time to think, and he becomes a dangerous animal. I looked at my reflection in that belt, and I thought about the rapping, the cussing, the brass knucks, the injuries, the return, the rise, the title win, the heel turn....I became enraptured in reality, lost in sense, transported into real life.

    This is no dream.

    This is reality. And the reality of this situation is that I sit here, WWE Title centimetres away from me, as the guy who this company is hooking the wagon to on the Road to WrestleMania. Me and Randy, we're cut from the same cloth, we eat, sleep and breathe this company.

    I hope you all enjoy what we're about to send your way.

    Because I know I will.

    Until next time....

    John

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 45
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• The Figurative And Literal Roa

  • From: JeffHardy
  • Description:

    After reading all of the blogs following last night's show I'm sure you understand by now the unity, the joy and the satisfaction we enjoy following a big Pay-Per-View like the Royal Rumble. The twists and turns, the bumps and the injuries, the emotional rollercoaster we all spent four hours creating for the fans in attendance, the fans at home and indeed for ourselves. You surely got from these blogs what it means to be a wrestler in this industry, you got to see through the eyes of Michael Shane, Primal, Assassin, Suffering, Ryan Simmons and indeed myself in the lead up and the follow up of the event.

    I'll say my piece about the Rumble soon enough but right now I'm going to show you another part of our business. See, I'm not typing to you in a plush hotel, basking in the glory of an amazing event, I'm currently sitting in the back of a rented Honda CR-V (We don't usually splash out an SUVs but when you hear who the fourth occupant is you'll understand) typing to you on my netbook driving to our next event.

    This is another aspect of out business, no matter how good a night we've had we still continue, we still have to go forward, we've still got another job to do, another arena to tear down.

    I'm going to give youa bit of insight as to life on the road in WWE. We all have our usual driving group but the wonders of WWE is that your group can change every week, you can end up with a completely different group each week. Currently driving the vehicle is none other than Joe, Suffering o you folks at home. I don't want to offer an opinion on his driving skills, I for one am not renowned for my driving ability. Following the events of the Rumble Joe decided to bring along the kid he's going to be taking under his ring, Sergio Griffin.

    I'll admit to not knowing this kid as well as I know Assassin, who is a rather good friend of mine by wrestling standards, but it's always nice to bring the younger guys into the group, some of the older generation are not as accepting of these young guys but I'm of the opinion that someday these guys will be in the place the likes of Joe, Shane and myself are in, we need to prepare them for that.

    Sergio is an....interesting little fellow outside of the ring, he's spent the morning regaling me with stories of his childhood and what I can only describe as his fascination with headbutting things, little hooligans. All in all I'm glad we brought the kid along, it's always great to add some new blood, shake things up a bit. Sergio is lucky to have the opportunity to work under Joe (lucky fucker, eh?), it's always helpful when one of the big dogs take you under their wing and invite you along. I'm reminded of when I was in Sergio's place and it was Michael Shane and Cena who helped me along, it was indeed a great experience and a great help to my career, let's hope Griffin takes this ball and runs with it.

    Moving swifly on to the fourth occupant in this Honda.....drum roll please.......Kane! Yes folks, the main reason why we got a planet ruining, gaz guzzling, enviornment destroying (plush, comfy and relaxing for the record) SUV. When you're renting a car with a seven foot monster it's very dangerous to even look at anything less than an SUV, one's health is definitely at risk.

    The Big Red Monster is perhaps the most gentle giant I've ever come across, he's one of the few guys who I know would keep everything I say in the strictest of confidence, one of the few guys that will not only listen but also offer advice and any and all help he can give you. There are few men in this business who can improve themselved and prove all of their critics wrong like Kane has done this past year, after getting such exposure in the Chamber match the sky truly is the limit for this behemoth.

    On the road Kane can be a bit quiet though, prefering to let Sergio regale us with the time he headbutted a child from his school, offering some stories as we drive down these long highways but mostly keeping quiet, grabbing a few winks.

    Always an interesting character to drive with is indeed Joe. I don't know how to describe his driving persona as such but it's a far cry from the unstable man he plays on TV, a far cry indeed. He'll kill me for saying this but he's almost like.....the dad of the group. If the likes of Assassin or myself, Shane or myself or anyone else is arguing, messing or doing anything out of line while he's driving, he'll threaten to pull over, turn the car around and unleash a volley of threats towards the perpetrators trying to distract him from the road, ah Joe.

    On the subject of Joe, I've never seen him as happy or as satisfied as he was last night, those segments, those promos and the matches were sheer brilliance, everything was just amazing, he had the best night he's had since his return to the WWE. After Orton he's the most over heel on the roster, this guy is going to be stealing the show up until 'Mania and will most definitely be main-eventing after this amazing feud with Shane.

    I myself am as satisfied as can be, not many people are aware of the big hearted Dane behind Morten's Primal persona but this guy made me a star, he took a hit to his career to put me over and never once complained about it. I'm gonna destroy the magic but that's one thing I'd ran by the creative team before the Rumble, I wanted Morten to go over me clean. To be honest it was probobly the direction they'd have taken anyway but I felt I owed it to Morten to "make" him like he made me. Suffice to say he looked like a million bucks out there last night and that's all because of himself, never a better big man has been in the WWE.

    I'm running out of things to talk about here, Sergio asking more and more distracting questions, Joe bellowing something into the back of the car, complaining about "loud kids" and Kane reading the latest PW torch newsletter....he'll be ribbed for weeks if I tell the boys. I'd best finish up soon, I'm hearing grumblings about finding the nearest Denny's.

    This is what it's like to be a wrestler, it's not always the big things like a Rumble, a huge victory in a PPV match or even appearing on a show, it's coupled with all of the little things, getting a drink together, getting a bite to eat and travelling down these figurative and symbolic roads together, this is what draws all of his together, this is true unity.

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 49
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• Kevin Rudolf - Let It Rock

  • From: VWWE
  • Description:

    The Official theme song of the 2009 Royal Rumble

  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 43
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