cawthon777

LOL Sad part is, as a 13 year old kid - that's what I actually expected to happen. Either that or the Ultimate Warrior comes out, smacks around the evil Taker, lighning bolt shoots down, lights go out, lights come back on, Warrior and evil Taker are gone but good Taker is in their place. Whoa ... I just gave myself a headache with that booking.

Not only was Ahmed injury prone to himself, he was injury prone to others. After a match with Ahmed at the Skydome in late 1997, the Rock was caughing up blood.

I thought the concept was great in 1995 when the world title was up for grabs. You knew guys like Malenko, Benoit, etc weren't going to take it (hell, they had only been in the company 2 months at that point) but it did open up the playing field quite a bit for guys like Savage, Luger, Flair, etc to legitimately win the belt without having to go through Hogan. There was some great potential for WCW to use the match to elevate mid carders to the main event level by winning World War 3 and earning a world title shot but that never happened. Gee, I wonder why?

After reading a bit more from rspw, I believe the reason for the push/non push of Sid during 95 was that the WWF wasn't sure if he was going to leave them high and dry again like he did in 1992. Around the TV taping and house show curcuits, Diesel dominated Sid without even trying. They were having 4 minute long cage matches (when it took 20 minutes to put up the cage) and sometimes even shorter main event bouts at the tapings, which obviously sent the crowd home pissed off. From what I understand, they recorded several of the taping bouts to air in case Sid did abruptly leave. Reading the rumors of the time, many expected Sid to take the belt from Diesel at the July IYH and be challenged by IC Champion Shawn Michaels at Summer Slam. Think about that for a minute. Even if a champion vs. champion, Shawn vs. Sid, main event at a PPV wasn't 5 stars ... it STILL would have been better than Diesel vs. Mabel. Btw, had that match occured I doubt Michaels would have taken the world title so early. If anything, he probably would have won on a DQ. To win belts at back-to-back pay-per-views would have been crazy booking. And the reason Sid wasn't at Summer Slam ... injury.

Mark Henry was gone that entire time. He suffered an injury right before Series 96 (which is why he wasn't there) and didn't come back until very late 97 / early 98 when he turned on Shamrock to join the Nation. They hardly tried to get Tiger over. He won the Kuwati Cup but didn't appear on a regular basis. The mid-card wasn't so bad when you take into consideration Triple H, Ken Shamrock, Owen, Davey, Foley in all his incarnations, Goldust, etc. Though I agree there were some stinkers.

I think I've heard this story enough times to repeat it accurately. I believe Meltzer was the source. The original plan for WrestleMania XIV was Bret vs. Austin. And this is how they would have gotten there ... Bret vs. HBK ... Survivor Series ... DQ / double DQ / whatever ... DX and Harts brawl as the show goes off the air In Your House DX ... Bret vs. Shamrock vs. HBK vs. Taker for the title ... Shawn wins the title Royal Rumble 98 ... Bret vs. HBK ... HBK wins Either the Raw the day after or the February 98 In Your House ... Bret puts his career on the line, saying if he can't beat Shawn for the title then he'll retire ... they have a ladder match, Bret wins WrestleMania XIV ... Bret vs. Austin ... Austin wins

WWF @ St. Louis, MO - Kiel Arena - January 10, 2000 Raw is War: WWF European Champion Val Venis pinned Edge at 3:34 with the fisherman's suplex; after the match, the two along with Christian hugged because of Edge's engagement to Val's sister It was probably killed because the WWF didn't think to take it any further.

I almost did when I heard Jim Ross sadly announce Stacy Keibler wouldn't be getting a "championship opportunity". Damn, JR will put over anything.

Yeah, I'd much rather see Jericho vs. Orton than Jericho vs. Benoit. Wait ... no I wouldn't. And the insane lack of Benoit is pathetic. He's the world champion defending at a PPV this Sunday and hasn't even been on TV. And yet Triple H got his own 20 minute segment in which to give himself a verbal blow job.

From what I've read about Greg, he is quiet and keeps to himself but I don't think he means to put anyone down with his demeanor. I met him in January and he seemed distant (he also seemed somewhat intoxicated) but others who bumped into him that weekend said he was a great guy. Same goes for Arn Anderson, who just happened to be royally pissed off about something before I shook his hand. I just happened to meet him at the wrong time that day.

He actually had a WWF Title Match vs. Bret Hart at that taping that aired on Mania. Much appreciated. I had that the match took place at the same taping but no clue that it was for Mania. I'll have to search into that a little more. It's pretty obvious why the guy didn't last after I met a heavily intoxicated Landell earlier this year ... who then ended the night by getting into a fight after hitting on a married woman, then abruptly checking out of the hotel.

Good call. I just wrote up that recap and for the life of me couldn't recall who that was.

Very good point. Here are the results of 1 taping just to illustrate that. WWF @ Newark, DE - Bob Carpenter Center - December 18, 1995 Monday Night Raw taping: 12/18/95 - featured footage from the previous night's pay-per-view in which Diesel and the Undertaker had a face-to-face confrontation once it was announced Taker would get a world title shot at the Royal Rumble; included WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announcing that Ahmed Johnson would face Jeff Jarrett at the Royal Rumble and that Jarrett would not participate in the Rumble match itself; included Ted Dibiase as a guest of the Brother Love Show in which he spoke of the debut of Xanta Claus the night previous as well as hinting toward bringing back the Million $ Championship; featured the debut of the Shawn Michaels "Tell Me a Lie" music video during the closing segment: Jeff Jarrett defeated Fatu via disqualification when Ahmed Johnson interfered and attacked Jarrett as Jarrett had the figure-4 applied on his opponent (Jarrett's return to Raw after a 5-month absence) Buddy Landell pinned Bob Holly with a corckscrew elbow drop (Landell's only appearance on WWF TV) WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon defeated Yokozuna via count-out when the Undertaker and Paul Bearer came ringside with the casket, causing Yoko to escape backstage; during the bout, Goldust watched on from the entranceway; after the bout, Dok Hendrix interviewed Razor at ringside regarding the contents of the letter given to him last night by Goldust but Razor decided not to share them since children watch the show; Jerry Lawler, who claimed to have the letter, also refused to share what it read The Raw Bowl - 1/1/96 - included the announcement that Shawn Michaels would be holding a press conference the following week; featured a replay in full of the Helmsley / Godwinn Hog Pen match from In Your House; included a closing segment in which Billionaire Ted tried to get his men to copy the moves used by the WWF talent; featured the announcement that Vader would be a participant in the Royal Rumble match: WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Psycho Sid & 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase), Owen Hart & Yokozuna, and WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon & Savio Vega in the Raw Bowl elimination match; eliminations saw the Kid pin Razor after a clothesline to the back of the head by Sid, even though Vega called for a time-out (which was an added stipulation); Billy Gunn pinned Owen after Yoko accidentally splashed his partner; Billy pinned Sid with a roll up after Razor returned ringside and caused the Kid to collide with Sid; during Razor & Savio's entrance, Goldust's usher brought out a bouquet of gold roses for Razor - resulting in Razor beating the usher up; during the bout, all the participants wore football jerseys - Billy Gunn wore 38, Bart wore 45, Owen wore 1, Yoko wore 641, Razor wore 4, Savio wore Uno, the Kid wore 1-2-3, and Sid wore 00; later in the broadcast, the Brooklyn Brawler presented the Gunns with the Steve Lombardi Trophy, with the Gunns, Ahmed Johnson, Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, and Savio Vega beating up the Brawler in response Diesel pinned King Mabel (w/ Sir Mo) in 8 seconds following a boot to the face; after the match, Diesel hit the powerbomb on Mo; after the bout, Jerry Lawler attempted to interview Diesel but he walked on past Lawler and selected Ashley the Raw Queen to do the interview backstage 1/8/96 - included Ted Dibiase introducing 'The Ringmaster' Steve Austin during the Brother Love Show and featured Dibiase bestowing him with the Million $ Championship, which had been inactive for 4 years (Austin's WWF TV debut); featured a replay in full of the Bret / Davey Boy match from In Your House; included the debut of Scheme Gene during a Royal Rumble report which included the announcement that Takaio Amore would be in the Rumble match (and for whatever reason Takaio didn't make the show and was never mentioned again); featured a brief interview with Earl Hebner regarding why he allowed the Bret / Davey Boy world title match to go on despite Hart's massive blood loss; featured a segment featuring Billionaire Ted in which he tried to come up with a new slogan for WCW: Jeff Jarrett defeated Hakushi via submission with the figure-4 Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Brettler with the Pearl River Plunge; after the bout, Jeff Jarrett came to the ring and attempted to hit Ahmed over the head with his guitar but hit the turnbuckle instead; moments later, Ahmed demolished the guitar before running backstage to find Jarrett Goldust pinned Aldo Montoya with the Curtain Call 1/15/96 - included Todd Pettingeil announcing that prior to the Royal Rumble there will be a 'Free for All' match where the winner would earn the #30 spot in the Rumble; featured an in-ring interview with Goldust conducted by Vince McMahon; included a closing segment in which Razor Ramon and Goldust fought in the backstage area, eventually taking it outside into the snow before Goldust was able to escape by driving off in a car: Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Marty Jannetty Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Matt Hardy via submission with the Million $ Dream (Austin's in-ring debut on Raw) WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated the Spiders following the Sidewinder; during the bout, it was announced that Sunny obtained a tag team title shot for the Body Donnas at the Royal Rumble The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the tombstone

It's a posting forum. Best I can tell it opened around 1989. Play around with the search engine, you'll be surprised as to how much info is packed in there. I've found countless house show and TV taping recaps dating back to 1990. rec.sport.pro-wrestling

Over the past few days I’ve spent many hours searching rspw for old Raw recaps from November 95 – June 96 and it’s really brought back a lot of memories. Diesel as the tweener, the brief return of Brother Love, Vader ‘breaking’ Yoko’s leg, the HBK / Diana Hart angle, Bret’s career in limbo after WrestleMania, the Razor / Goldust battle in the snow. But above all of them, what stands out in my mind as the absolute best angle from that time period is the Shawn Michaels collapse. It was the day after the Survivor Series in Richmond, VA. Shawn had just returned to the ring following the Syracuse Nine incident and had won his match at the pay-per-view, despite taking a vicious beating by teammates and opponents alike. His scheduled opponent for the night – Owen Hart. They had met before when the roles were reversed, with Owen playing babyface and Shawn as the heel, and while the match would certainly be good the outcome was never in doubt. At that point in 1995, there was no one who could touch Shawn Michaels in terms of popularity and charisma. And then it happened. After skinning the cat his way back inside the ring, Shawn posed for the fans and then fell to the mat. As referee Earl Hebner checked on Michaels, asking if he could hear his voice, Owen and Cornette talked in the corner. Moments later, EMTs and WWF officials alike filled the ring. Vince, Gorilla, and JR looked on in concern and confusion much like the crowd. No one knew what was going on. The commentary team had long put down the headsets and the show went off the air with no conclusive evidence that Shawn was ok. In the weeks that followed, we were witness to comments from Dr. Unger – Shawn’s doctor – who gave a grim outlook on his health. He might get better in two weeks ... in two months ... in two years ... or he may never be able to wrestle again. Todd Pettingeil went to Shawn’s house and interviewed him, only for Shawn to cut the interview short when the question was asked what he would do if he was never able to get back in the ring. And then there was the emotional “Tell Me a Lie” music video. Of course we all know that it was a set-up for Michaels’ return at the Royal Rumble and his eventual win of the world title at WrestleMania. But in a time where not everyone and their dog had access to the Internet and angles like this were allowed to progress at a drawn-out pace, it made for great TV. I just got done reading an eye-witness report of the show on rspw from someone who I would certainly classify as a very knowledgeable fan and even he was taken back by the events of that night, not sure if it was a work or shoot. I miss that aspect of pro wrestling today – the doubt. Not knowing if Diesel is “shooting” on Vince McMahon when he claims McMahon made him be the corporate puppet when he was champ. Not knowing whether or not Shawn will ever be able to wrestle again. It was fun when they blurred the line. Now I’m not even sure if there is a line. Despite what Paul Heyman says, I know Paul Bearer isn’t going to die on live TV. I know Kane didn’t really knock up Lita. Has the product been truly been dumbed down or are we, as fans, just not as naive as we were back then? So what are your thoughts on the angle, the time period, and how / if times have changed?

I should threaten to beat up Matt Hardy and see what it gets me.

When did Shatner ever have a match? My pick for worst match ever: The Collossal Kongs (w/ Harley Race) vs. the Harris Boys (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) in a 30-minute marathon match No wait ... get rid of the managers ... they might actually make it entertaining.

And then he crashes through a wall?

I'm assuming Mordecai, Kenzo, and Jindrak won their matches? Btw, thanks for the recap.

They also turned heel in 98 and were soon joined by the ICP in their feud against the Oddities. I know most of us blocked that from our memories.

Okay ... Well with the GAB behind us I just HAD to see if any changes had occured with the scheduled line up. They have. Pending the results of The Great American Bash, the following Superstars are scheduled to appear in ROANOKE: WWE Title Match - No DQ - 1 Fall to a Finish EDDIE GUERRERO VS. JOHN "BRADSHAW" LAYFIELD U.S. Title Match JOHN CENA VS. BOOKER T 3 Team Elimination Match for the WWE Tag Titles HARDCORE HOLLY & BILLY GUNN VS. THE DUDLEYS VS. F.B.I. # 1 contenders Match for U.S. Title ROB VAN DAM VS. RENE DUPREE WWE Cruiserweight Title Match REY MYSTERIO VS. CHAVO GUERRERO Plus: Smackdown! General Manager Kurt Angle, Paul Heyman, Spike Dudley, Mark Jindrak, Theodore R. Long, Billy Kidman, Luther Reigns, Playboy Diva Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie, Scotty 2 Hotty, & Kenzo Suzuki Now ... back in September we got a steller Brock / Angle 45-minute match. So ... if I don't see blood in this No DQ main event, someone's going home unhappy.

I've rarely found Lita to be THAT attractive ... but I agree with you on that one. Raw was pretty decent. Two 15-minute+ matches, two 5-minute matches. The number of bouts may have decreased over the past few months but the quality sure has gone up.

Could not agree with you more. Michaels winning would have continued the respectibility of the KOTR tournament. Mabel winning made it ... a joke.

Well with Razor being injured, they didn't have much of a choice but to replace him with Savio. I thought he was taken off the show for being an alcoholic. Oh well, last time I trust anonymous sources. Hall had his ribs banged up by Jarrett at the Nassau Coliseum a few weeks prior to KOTR.

A ladder match at that. It's not exactly HBK / Razor.