res37618

Hell, I had 7 or 8, and in one match, I've got two dead guys wrestling each other (Von Erich vs. Bravo). Puts new meaning to the term "Casket Match"

Damn, I forgot about that one! That should be a good one as well. It's a good thing we didn't say "You can't use any dead wrestlers" either, or we'd have all been fucked LOL

And the cool thing is, if WM21 goes down as planned, I can add WWE Cruiserweight Title Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. Paul London and keep everything intact.

Disqualified - Christian used in two matches!! Shit. I'll be back in a jiffy... EDIT: Replaced it with the US Title match. Good enough - that's some hard shit to do, isn't it? Makes your brain hurt and your eyes water . . .

Disqualified - Christian used in two matches!!

Exactly - order it from Deepdiscountdvd.com - it's $16.18 right now with free shipping. Probably a better price than you'll find at a "big box" retail store, unless you happen to find it used at a local DVD shop or something. It's a good DVD, for sure. No one match on it is a "five-star classic", but for a nostalgic look back, it's pretty awesome.

I think some ground rules should be set for this thread: 1) No one can wrestle more than once 2) Only one match from each WrestleMania 3) Each title (current or inactive) can be defended only once. Here's mine - let's see if I do OK: The Ultimate WrestleMania Main Event: World Heavyweight Title - Triple Threat Match HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit WWE(F) Title Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar The Rock vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan WWE(F) Intercontinental Title "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Submission Match - Special Ref: Ken Shamrock Bret Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin WWE(F) Tag Team Title Tables, Ladders, and Chairs II Dudleys vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge/Christian Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow WWE(F) Women's Title The Fabulous Moolah vs. Velvet McIntyre Undertaker vs. "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel $15,000 Slam Match Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard vs. Tito Santana & Rick Martel "Ravishing" Rick Rude vs. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb Mixed Tag Team Match "Marvelous" Marc Mero & Sable vs. Goldust & Luna Vachon "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich vs. Dino Bravo WWE(F) European Title Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac The Steiner Brothers vs. The Headshrinkers Big Bossman, Virgil, Sgt. Slaughter, & "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. The Nasty Boys, The Repo Man, & The Mountie WWE(F) Hardcore Title - 15-Minute Battle Royal The Acolytes, Sho Funaki, The Headbangers, Crash & Hardcore Holly, Mean Street Posse, TAKA Michinoku, Tazz, & Viscera **************************************************************** There you have it - Damn, my brain hurts after that. If you see any discrepancies, feel free to let me know, but I think the whole thing works out. 20 matches, no title defended more than once, no wrestler on the card more than once, and no duplicated WrestleManias. It's damned difficult to get the good matches on there without having to put crap from others. Hopefully, I minimized the crap and made the most out of it.

And this should hopefully lead to some higher buyrates, assuming the true "most popular" choice won, rather than a rigged ballot where the WWE's choice wins. I wonder if the buyrate would've jumped a little last year if the HHH/HBK title match had been announced the week before, or if Benoit or Edge could've spiked the buys just a little more? Or, do you think the buyrate would've hovered in the same ballpark because of a) the day of the week for the PPV being shitty, and b) most people believed the title wasn't gonna change regardless of who was in the match?

That would be kinda interesting . . could you see a War Games match with two six-sided rings? That would look really cool on TV, that's for sure. And with the right participants, maybe like an X-Division War Games of sorts, it would probably be a MOTY candidate. I doubt there's room in the Universal Studios arena though to do a two-ring event without losing a bunch of seats. Maybe for one of their first PPV's outside of Florida, it could work.

I'm guessing that disc 1 will be the entire documentary (2-3 hours perhaps), and is it possible that disc 2 will be Survivor Series 1997 in its entirety? That would be pretty cool - let's save the Bret matches for a DVD set that doesn't revolve around the Montreal screwjob.

I know that I'll get some die-hard hate posts after this statement, but it just happened to dawn on me this morning that SummerSlam could be shaping up this way (assuming that WWE has the foresight to even book that far ahead, I'm doubting it ). . . . Is it possible that: A) Batista walks out of WM21 as the World Heavyweight Champ (or Backlash at the latest) AND B) Muhammad Hassan continues to improve (I know, he's still a little green, but so is Batista at times), continues to gain heat, becoming a credible heel main eventer SummerSlam is in Washington, D.C. - is it remotely possible that they're building to Batista/Hassan for the title this August? It's entirely within the WWE's realm of booking to let the Arab-American heel win the title from Batista in his hometown, also the nation's capital . . . with the controversy that Hassan is already creating, it would be a definite eye-opener, to be sure. I'm sure that mainstream coverage would abound, depending on how the title victory is handled by WWE. Or am I just an insane, crazy person with too much time on his hands? Discuss!

You're probably right, there. Hunter will be champ until he damned well feels like not being champ, which means they'll drag his casket to it's grave with the title belt hanging off of it. His casket will probably even have the same little "Triple H" plate that the belt has on it. Batista vs. Edge? Eh, I can't see it. WWE has always fucked up Edge's pushes, and I can't see it being any different by August, at least on RAW. If they move him to SmackDown, it could give him somewhat of a fresh start, but I don't know . . . . If it's Batista/HHH, it'll be the third match, in all likelihood - they'll probably have a rematch at Backlash. Batista/HBK I guess is a possibility, in some sort of face vs. face match, maybe with HBK winning the #1 contendership at the July PPV or on RAW.

I guess it's not appropriate to engage in conversation on here, and make people actually think. It's better to just come on here and call HHH, JBL, and Cena worthless, and praise the likes of Benoit and Paul London simply because everyone else does it. Just trying to start an interesting post, that's all. Guess that's not appreciated on THIS board, huh? People did think. They generally thought it was a bad idea, and gave some good reasons why it would be a bad idea. If you think you can counter their points, feel free to do so. Failing that, you could moan some more. Instead of pissing and moaning about the responses you get, how about responding the points made as to why this idea would not work ? Why not elaborate on how the pro-USA stance needed to play off of the Hassan character would fit into Batista's current badass persona ? Or you could explain why Hunter wouldn't be involved in the main event ? Maybe even add some real background to the Hassan v Batista match ? OK, I can go along with that . . . . Agreed, in all likelihood, it's a bad idea, and something that probably won't happen. Hassan IS still green, and yes, things like blown Irish Whips don't necessarily look very good in front of a national TV audience, or a house show crowd that's dwindling as it is . . . . all I'm saying is that it's entirely within the realm of possibility that Hassan can be groomed and, with some extra work in the ring, be ready for some sort of push beyond wrestling Lawler and Sgt. Slaughter. Hell, they let him beat Jericho, so they're obviously trying to give him some sort of running chance out of the gate, as well as really pushing the "he's yet to be pinned or submit on RAW" statement that's started getting made every week. But, there doesn't have to be a "pro-USA" Batista involved in order for the match to happen. All he's gotta do is piss Batista off. With Batista playing this "badass, I'll beat anyone's head through their asshole" persona, it could be something as simple as Hassan being in the wrong place at the wrong time, spouting off something stupid about Batista, or some sort of other nonsense. It's not like WWE has ever needed a fantastic reason to start feuds - hell, HHH and Kane feuded over having sex with a corpse. I'm looking at it from more of a "is it possible?" standpoint of, Batista, from DC - Hassan, anti-American - SummerSlam, IN DC. Something other than the same old "yeah, HHH is gonna get the belt back from Batista that night." As for Hunter's role, it remains to be seen who he could feud with in place of being in the main event, if anyone. THAT's what makes this scenario unlikely, I'll admit, but it's always fun to wonder "what if?" That's all I was trying to do, and I'm sorry if I came off as defensive or an asshole about it. Seems like every time I start a post, this happens. Guess I need to think them out a little better.

Again, I'm not saying I WANT to see Hassan/Batista - nowhere in my question did I say "Damn, that's gonna be the best match - they should do it!" - I was simply posing a question based on where the show is, and who may be involved. And forgive me for thinking Hassan may have a glimmer of potential . . . heaven forbid we think well of anyone not named Benoit or London on this board. I'm pretty sure Hunter's Torn Quad thinks I'm a retard anyway, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised or upset that I can't make a little joke without him trying to rip me a new asshole.

I'm in no way saying that Hassan is ready for a main event run right this minute - but, a lot can change in 5 months and it's entirely feasible that given the location of the event, the nature of Hassan's character, and who may be champ at that time, Batista/Hassan COULD be the main event of SummerSlam. It may not be, either - he could just as easily get jobbed out between now and then. It's just a thought provoking question, that's all, given the nature of WWE booking and such. Damn, ya'll get riled up really easily, don'tcha?

Uh, he didn't main event last year's SummerSlam . . . it's entirely possible. True but was he not involved?.....Let me just point out I forget the ending to Orton vs Beniot, it wasn't a clean finish was it? Completely clean finish - no HHH anywhere in sight, until RAW the next night when he shit-kicked Orton.

Agreed, you can say what you want about his wrestling ability at this point, but the man gives a damned good promo, and I really feel he's got potential to "break out" very soon - I think he's got more potential than Cena, and it's pretty obvious that Cena is getting ready for his first WWE title. I too feel that HHH may step away from the title picture for a while, and I think he can have quality feuds with others on the roster . . . and it's not entirely out of the question that he could go to SmackDown and take the title from Cena, althought unlikely). I could definitely see Hassan as a credible heel World Champ by the time SummerSlam rolls around. What he does at WrestleMania and Backlash will be a telling sign as to WWE's plan for him.

Uh, he didn't main event last year's SummerSlam . . . it's entirely possible.

Uh, SummerSlam is in Washington, D.C. this year, it was announced on WWE.com a few weeks ago.

I refuse to order it, quite honestly. I think $24.95 plus shipping is just ridiculous for that. When they get a distribution deal, we can start seeing them at a lower price. But until then, I just can't bring myself to pay that kind of money for it. You can buy two WWE PPV DVD's from somewhere like deepdiscountdvd.com or even WalMart for almost the same price . . . I really don't understand why TNA can't (or won't) get a DVD distribution deal . . . I can get CZW and ROH stuff at my local Best Buy or FYE (granted, neither are new shows, but they're there anyway), but can't get the second biggest wrestling fed in America. Kinda weird, don't you think? It's almost like they WANT to get ridiculous prices for TNA stuff . . . . Plus, Victory Road was a stinker of a PPV. The next 3 (Turning Point, Final Resolution, and Against All Odds) are much better. No amount of extras would save a Victory Road DVD from being bad. The ROH videos at FYE aren't ROH releases, they're Takedown Masters releases, and don't have all the matches on them. I realize that, but it's ROH at a reduced price. For a cheap-ass like me, that's pretty cool. As much as I like ROH, there's no way I'd pay $24.95 plus shipping for an ROH DVD, either. Luckily, they run pretty good promotions and discounts sometimes which makes it possible to get three or four shows sometimes for $50.00 or less. Again, as for Victory Road, it wasn't a good enough show to warrant almost $30. The other shows may be a different story, but there are plenty of ways to get them without paying outlandish prices.

I think it's four hours this year . . . 7pm Eastern, replay at 11pm

I refuse to order it, quite honestly. I think $24.95 plus shipping is just ridiculous for that. When they get a distribution deal, we can start seeing them at a lower price. But until then, I just can't bring myself to pay that kind of money for it. You can buy two WWE PPV DVD's from somewhere like deepdiscountdvd.com or even WalMart for almost the same price . . . I really don't understand why TNA can't (or won't) get a DVD distribution deal . . . I can get CZW and ROH stuff at my local Best Buy or FYE (granted, neither are new shows, but they're there anyway), but can't get the second biggest wrestling fed in America. Kinda weird, don't you think? It's almost like they WANT to get ridiculous prices for TNA stuff . . . . Plus, Victory Road was a stinker of a PPV. The next 3 (Turning Point, Final Resolution, and Against All Odds) are much better. No amount of extras would save a Victory Road DVD from being bad.

- It was noted that DVD sales have proven to be a strong revenue/profit base for the company. Over 1.8 million units were sold in fiscal '05, and they estimate 2.1 mil. will be sold in the next fiscal year. This would indicate a couple more DVD releases than the prior year, or another blockbuster release that will drive sales again (can we hope for a Four Horsemen or Bret Hart comp?). Linda reiterated how great DVD sales have been, and they seem excited to keep providing more releases for the fans, and said that they are "reworking" their video library to maximize this. - An exclusive DVD will be released to Wal-Mart which will showcase the two trips that WWE SmackDown has made to Iraq. No other details were given. - Linda said that they hoped to announce distribution deals for WWE 24/7 within the next few weeks. - Royal Rumble has been estimated at 455,000 buys, obviously down from what they were looking for. - Negotiations with SpikeTV "and others" to carry WWE programming are ongoing. - Average attendance for live events in the quarter was about 4,000 per event, only down 100 from the prior year's quarter. - WWE bought a corporate jet for $21.1 million. Flyin' in style, huh? FROM THE Q & A SESSION: - A new merchandise line, integrated with WWE 24/7, will be launched featuring legends and such. Several legends (Linda said almost 30) have been signed to promotional appearances and deals, mentioning Superstar Billy Graham as an example. No other details were given. - Linda refused to talk about what cable companies were negotiating for 24/7, but said there were 8 or 9 contracts out being looked over. She said it looked like it would be offered at a price of $6 to $8 per subscriber. - Someone asked about "emerging stars" in the WWE's future, and the only one Linda mentioned by name was John Cena. She said that Raw had been producing several stars that were starting to become "celebrities", but that's all that was said. Can't believe that she didn't mention Batista by name, considering he's also main eventing WM21. - Linda talked about WWE Films quite a bit, and said that two of them were in the "Editor's Cut" stage of post-production. They sound really enthusiastic about the possible success of these movies. I just can help but wonder how long it will take them to be in the $5.50 bin at Wal-Mart . . . . - Continuation of international events is a priority for the company. D'uh, they're pretty much the only arenas that sell out. Linda mentioned an interest in developing business in Italy, with Italian versions of the DVD's being planned. - Someone asked about the brand split, and any changes that may be coming. Linda says that it's now being deemed a success, but they still don't have the crossover appeal that they wanted (apparently, only 28% of viewers watch both shows on a regular basis). When asked about doing any cross-promotion of the brands, Linda says that it's up to the creative staff to do "co-mingling" of stars on both shows in order to help with crossover, and since she's really not involved in that aspect, she really couldn't add anything.

WWE chooses TVN Entertainment for VOD; Agreement Marks Premier VOD Satellite Delivery of WWE 24/7 BURBANK, Calif. & STAMFORD, Conn., Feb 25, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- TVN Entertainment Corporation, the leading provider of on demand television programming, management and distribution services, and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWE), the largest provider of event programming in the world, today announced the signing of a wide-ranging VOD Preferred Partner services agreement. The agreement covers VOD services and distribution for WWE®'s new subscription on demand service, WWE 24/7. The new SVOD offering will feature highly-rated Pay-Per-View, cable and syndicated broadcast content, best-selling home videos, new original productions and proprietary broadband, from the WWE and other acquired national and regional wrestling brands. As a TVN Preferred Partner, WWE 24/7 may utilize TVNow, the only industry-wide rapid VOD encode/transport service - which allows content owners to capture live programs/events and make them available "on demand" to customers within hours of the original broadcast. WWE and TVN may also pursue opportunistic and strategic revenue opportunities related to future applications and ITV developments. "One of our business goals is to effectively utilize our valuable library of more than 75,000 hours of wrestling content covering the WWE, WCW, ECW, and other brands," said Tom Barreca, Senior Vice President of WWE Enterprises. "Our agreement with TVN is a tremendous strategic catalyst to our upcoming rollout across cable operators later this month. This agreement should energize both our distributors and our avid fan base, which is anxious to enjoy WWE 24/7 on their schedule." "We are extremely happy to expand our relationship with WWE, bringing enormously popular programming to VOD via TVN's advanced platform," said Jim Riley, TVN Executive Vice President. "WWE 24/7 is precisely the kind of unique, branded programming that will energize a new customer category to sample and embrace VOD." World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. WWE 24/7 is a subscription video on demand service being made available through cable and satellite television providers and leveraging WWE's 75,000-hour library, the largest of its kind in the world, featuring the leading wrestling and other sports entertainment brands and programming. More information on WWE 24/7 can be found at www.wwe24-7.com. About TVN Entertainment Corporation TVN Entertainment, a Video On Demand (VOD) content solutions company, is the leading provider of on demand television programming, management and delivery services. TVN currently distributes more than 2000 hours of VOD programming from over 70 content providers. In addition to comprehensive programming services, TVN Entertainment offers the only single-source management and distribution solution for VOD and live events, including content aggregation, packaging, encoding, asset management and secure transport via satellite to all video service providers. TVN Entertainment has been chosen as the VOD solution for many leading MSOs, including Adelphia, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Insight and Mediacom. For more information visit www.TVN.com.

I'm not talking about buyrates, I'm talking about stupid booking habits that ended up being a factor in the death of the company. I know that WCW was more popular for a period of time, but that doesn't take away from the fact that many of their decisions were just atrocious. If WWE booked a NON-TITLE match for the main event of WrestleMania, when one of the men in the match was World or WWE Champion (not talking about main events where neither man was champ), fans would shit all over it in droves, and you know it. But somehow, WCW rode that wave of mediocrity and shittiness for a couple of years before fans realized it sucked. If the booking of WCW leading up to Starrcade '96 was so bad, it would not have drawn the numbers it did. Regardless of whether you liked the direction of WCW of that time, it cannot be denied that it was what the majority of fans wanted, because they paid for the PPV, and WCW got almost twice as many fans to pay for Starrcade '96 than the WWF got to pay for Survivor Series the month before. And yet it was WCW who drew a huge number for the PPV it was held on. It doesn't matter if you thought the booking sucked or not. The fact is the PPV drew a huge number for WCW, and more people paid for that PPV than did WM XIII a few months later. OK, you win