Lazarus

Because adjusted for inflation, I'm sure Hogan pretty much drew more money and ratings that "will probably never be rivaled" than Austin. Not to mention he has been on top of WWF for 8 years (in his first run), Austin has only for 2 to 4 years. I don't know how you can adjust ratings for inflation, but I can help with adjusting the money via this handy site, The Inflation Calculator. Obviously with ratings, you adjust it for how many homes get the channel, and how many people are watching TV in general. The fact that Hogan was drawing monster ratings for WWF (in an admittedly less crowded market) whereas Austin was drawing monster ratings adjusted for the time. Whatever term you'd call it to explain why a 15.0 rating in 1988 is not as impressive as a 15.0 rating in say, 1998. The other thing that needs to be considered is what kind of shows were available to watch. Back in Hogan's era we had SNME every now and then and weekly "Superstars of Wrestling". There was nowhere near the hype or quality in those old shows as the ones we get today because now, even with all the complaints, we get real matches between real stars. Back then it was just a star squashing a jobber, which I don't think can really compete with a show that will consistently match the stars up against each other. The business model was different back then. If you wanted to see a star battle another star, you paid money to go to a house show or you waited until SNME or The Main Event was broadcast (Considering Andre the Giant/Hogan on The Main Event is still the most watched wrestling match in history). They were not about to give away top tier matches to television that was in syndication or on cable when it was still in its relative infancy. Back in the day, a loss on television could mean death for a career. Without a guaranteed contract, they could quickly do away with you after jobbing you out just once, thus killing any momentum you might have been able to use in another promotion. I am not saying it is the same business model. I am saying that you need to consider what Hogan and Austin were workign with when they got the ratings that they did. It's a lot harder to pull of a high rating when literally all you have to work with squashing jobbers left, right and center. Yes, that is how the WWF chose to do things at the time, and that is precisely why people shouldn't try to do a one to one comparison, because back then the TV ratings weren't considered anywhere near as important as they are now. The other thing that people need to consider when comparing Austin and Hogan is where the business was when they started. Austin had huge huge highs, but he came in at a time when the industry had already massively benefitted from Hogan. Hogan took wrestling from being a backwoods embarassment and put it into the mainstream spotlight. When Austin had his big run, he was benefitting from all the work that Hogan had done to put the WWF on the map, so he was starting at a much higher point than Hogan did. He was also in an era where wrestling in general was getting a lot more attention, thanks to a number of things such as DX, the Rock and what Hogan and the NWO were doing at WCW. When it comes to determining who the face of the franchise is, I think the answer is whoever shows up most if you ask 100 random people on the street to name a single wrestler. I'd bet good money that the name that comes up most will be Hogan, with guys like Austin and the Rock falling pretty far behind.

Because adjusted for inflation, I'm sure Hogan pretty much drew more money and ratings that "will probably never be rivaled" than Austin. Not to mention he has been on top of WWF for 8 years (in his first run), Austin has only for 2 to 4 years. I don't know how you can adjust ratings for inflation, but I can help with adjusting the money via this handy site, The Inflation Calculator. Obviously with ratings, you adjust it for how many homes get the channel, and how many people are watching TV in general. The fact that Hogan was drawing monster ratings for WWF (in an admittedly less crowded market) whereas Austin was drawing monster ratings adjusted for the time. Whatever term you'd call it to explain why a 15.0 rating in 1988 is not as impressive as a 15.0 rating in say, 1998. The other thing that needs to be considered is what kind of shows were available to watch. Back in Hogan's era we had SNME every now and then and weekly "Superstars of Wrestling". There was nowhere near the hype or quality in those old shows as the ones we get today because now, even with all the complaints, we get real matches between real stars. Back then it was just a star squashing a jobber, which I don't think can really compete with a show that will consistently match the stars up against each other.

That's a truly horriffic rating...

Taker is my current favorite wrestler, but I am tired of his being on SD and think he's gotten stale there. I for one don't want to see a Taker/Trips feud and I also don't want Taker's streak to ever be broken. I want Taker to retire with a perfect WM streak when he does retire, but in the interrim I'd like him to be moved over to Raw.

I'm also not happy with their removing Punk from the match. Although I think he should've kept the belt until at least Surviror Series, I am okay with it being taken off of him as well. What I do find crappy is their not even putting him in the match. Although in some ways it protects him, I also find it's a crappy thing to do because the defending champ should be in the championship match! Sure cards can change, but I feel that that change is a little too big.

I have to say I sure didn't expect that ending... I hadn't been keeping up with the thread or any of the sites with live updates, so I was pretty taken aback when a buddy IM'ed me that Jericho was champ. I didn't even know that Punk wasn't in the match at the time, lol.

Here are my predictions: Tag Match: Priceless will take it. I think that they've been building them up lately and it would be wasted by making them lose the belts now. Diva Match: McCool wins. Don't think they'd want to put the belt on Maryse now and didn't they say this was McCool's first title defense on SD? Pretty sure they didn't say it was the first ppv defense, so I doubt they'll make her lose the belt on the first try. Jericho vs Michaels: I think Jericho is the smarter choice for WWE. Michaels could take some time off to heal if Jericho wins. Also, Jericho should be put into the title picture at some point, whereas I don't see the point of adding Michaels to it since he can't wrestle full time. Having Jericho lose now would hurt his credibility unless he brutally attacks HBK after the match and "takes him out of commission for a few months". I've loved this feud, but I think it needs to die down or end now, at least until Wrestlemania. The Scramble Matches: Funny thing here is that while I am certain that at least one title has to change hands, when I look at the individual matches I just don't expect it to happen. I really think they want Punk to keep the belt til Surviror Series, I just can't imagine Trips giving up the belt and I think that since ECW ratings are rather good with Henry as champ they won't want to change it this early. So not sure what to predict here because my gut goes against any chanes but I am sure that has to be wrong. If I had to guess who'd win if the champs don't retain, my guesses would be: Raw: Batista is most likely, but I could see JBL taking it instead since they seem obsessed with keeping him in the title picture and it'd make another Punk/JBL match actually sense. SD: I seriously doubt they'd put it on Kendrick at this point and Shelton has the US title and it wouldn't make sense to bump him up yet. It's been MVP and Hardy, but if the rumors about the heat on MVP are true then I think it'll go to Hardy. ECW: Hardy seems like the most obvious candidate. I don't think they'll do the Taker match against the SD Scramble winner. Those rumors about Taker's having a sore knee and his coming back too early make me inclined to think that that is why he hasn't been wrestling on tv lately and that they might want to let him heal better before they toss him into the ring.

I'd like them to come back. It was always a fun read.

I remember that a few months ago, before I actually started posting here and was just lurking, there used to be roundtable discussions of the PPV's before they went on, discussing the cards and making predictions. I used to really enjoy reading those. What happened to them?

Funny thing is that I heard that MVP had some sort of backstage heat and I was just about to come in here and ask what it's all about, haha

You make a good point, but in all fairness there really isn't anything to stop champs from doing that in any title match outside of the no DQ matches.

He might, but I just can't see Khali being very good at scrabble

I don't see them putting it on Benjamin either since it would vacate the US title. My guess is TBK or MVP. Both could use the rub and the latter could actually carry it a bit if they decide to go for a DQ finish. I'm guessing that they won't do Hardy unless they want to give him a bit of a run, because giving it to him and taking it off so quickly would piss off a lot of people that have waited a long time for him to get the gold.

I hope he takes all the time he needs to fully heal before getting back into the ring. Between his real life interviews, first hand reports and all the make-a-wish stuff he does, he seems like a legitimately nice guy so I wish him the best.

I didnt't see the PPV but from what I hear it seemed to end early. Does anyone have an idea why this is? Was a wrestler hurt?

I was wondering something about signs. I haven't been to a live show in over 12 or 13 yrs so it may be obvious to everyone else, but I once heard that the WWE will give out signs to people that they want to show up in the audience. Is that true at all?

Holy crap... how far back was that? I don't think I had Raw at all where I lived for a few yrs since my number of English channels were severely limited.

Doesn't it piss you off that in Canada we have to wait til Friday at midnight (like we want to be watching wrestling at that time) to see ECW, 3 days after the US?

No one puts a gun to their heads and says, "BE A WRESTLER OR I WILL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT FO YOUR FUCKING HEAD!!!" It is their choice to do what they do and not do something else. Being a wrestler is a privilege, not a right. If they don't like the contracts then they shouldn't have chosen the profession, just as a future doctor shouldn't choose to be a doctor if he's gonna piss and moan about working 100+ hours a week for peanuts as a resident. This does nothing to address my point or argument, especially since WWE contracts might as well be illegal anyway You asked if they "should" in what I quoted, not about the legality of their stance. As far as I am concerned, no, they should not because the wrestlers are adults who can make their own decisions and can do something else if they don't like what is being offered. That doesn't mean that they are not legally required to act differently, as my beliefs were only answering what I consider them to be morally required to do. As for whether it is legal or not, that'd depend on whether according to American law the wrestlers can be seen as independent contractors at all. Given the circumstances of their employment, in Canada I don't think it would pass the tests required to allow for that sort of classification but I have no idea what the requirements are in the United States. As for the exclusivity clause, there is nothing inherently wrong with it in that many companies will make their independent contracts sign clauses that limit their work for other companies in the same industry.

No one puts a gun to their heads and says, "BE A WRESTLER OR I WILL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT FO YOUR FUCKING HEAD!!!" It is their choice to do what they do and not do something else. Being a wrestler is a privilege, not a right. If they don't like the contracts then they shouldn't have chosen the profession, just as a future doctor shouldn't choose to be a doctor if he's gonna piss and moan about working 100+ hours a week for peanuts as a resident.

I think i was watching wrestling on and off in 99 when Hunter buried Sable before her departure, but I honestly can't remember this event. What happened?

Regardless of how good a worker JBL may or may not be, I personally find him painfully boring in the ring and much prefer him as an announcer. However, I think he is a good choice for Punk at Summerslam, even though we did unfortunately see basically the same match the night Punk won the belt. The reason why I think that he is a good choice is because while he can't give Punk credibility (he's basically a jobber.. sure he beat Cena at the last ppv, but that doesn't change the fact that he has lost against every single serious contender for the title in god knows how many matches before that ppv), he can help get Punk closer to the point where he does have credibility as a champion. I don't think that jobbing Cena or Batista out to Punk right now would work because at this point in time it is simply unbelievable. Before he can beat those guys, he'll need to beat a few other people to build himself up and JBL is an excellent stepping stone in that he is high profile enough to help improve punk's credibility as well as being a competitor that Punk can realistically beat.

I haven't been able to catch SD for a bit so I might've missed it, but I was wondering if we've seen Carlito since the trade?

The way I see it, it doesn't matter if the fans are booing or cheering for Cena. What matters is that they are reacting to him. Whether it be cheers or boos, people sit up and notice him. The television ratings prove that he is a draw. Are they as good as they were in the attitude era? No, not at all. But so what? He is currently the biggest draw on the show as is evidenced by his segments getting the highest ratings. He, compared to everyone else, is the biggest draw right now. As for the merchandise sales, his numbers put everyone else to shame. So he's at the top there as well. Why would they take the chance of fucking up a good thing? Right now he's doing what they need him to do, which is make money. That is all that matters to them. Why would they screw around with the formula when he's still going strong? Maybe when things change and his merch sales taper off, but there hasn't been any sign of that either.

The end segment sounds great to me. It works well as a one-off to show a change in Edge that is needed for him to face taker in the cell. Even if Edge doesn't win, he can go the distance without outside help and come very close to winning. That alone would give him some legitimacy as a threat, and later one they could do another match where he actually wins (as much as I don't want more taker/edge matches I am resigned to the fact that they will continue this feud until long after I am retired). One thing I don't want is for Foley to come back. It'd be a great match, but the man has put his body through enough. He's lucky to not be totally crippled at this point and for the rest of his life he'll be in pain and his body will likely break down pretty badly at some point due to all the accumulated injuries. I don't want him to go through more and I don't want his family to be put through more, so I would be happy if he was never let in the ring again.