Hunter's Torn Quad

I've heards the same thing, but I don't know if it is true. If it was, I would imagine it was more Savage knowing that Benoit could make him look good than anything else. I think the deal was that New Japan would book Benoit, or any of the guys they wanted to use, a little in advance, and if the dates clashed then it would depend on who the guy was as to if New Japan or WCW would take precedence. New Japan booked Benoit, and because it was Benoit then the New Japan booking took precedence. I think Benoit liked Japan better because there was no politics to worry about. He could just go out and wrestle the best match he could, and didn't have to worry about anyone stabbing him in the back or trying to keep him down.

He's doing a Bruiser Brody gimmick.

I know I'll be getting this the moment it's released. I'll have a hard time not skipping the undercard and going right to Kobashi vs. Joe.

Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Suck – Part 8 Sting, The Steiner Brothers and El Gigante v Cactus Jack, Abdullah The Butcher, Big Van Vader and The Diamond Stud – Chamber Of Horrors, Halloween Havoc 1991 This masterstroke (watching it gave me a stroke) was the brainfart of noted wrestling great Jim Herd. Fresh from coming up with such classic characters as The Ding Dongs, The Dynamic Dudes, and The Hunchback (which thankfully never made it to air), Jim Herd devised this legendary gimmick match. Set inside a Thunderdome cage (a Hell In A Cell cage minus a roof), this would see a large leaver placed high in one corner of the cage, and an electric Chair Of Torture (ACME brand) hanging above the ring, which, after an undetermined length of time, would be lowered to the ring, and the first team to put an opponent in the chair and pull the switch would electrocute their opponent, and win the match. And you thought murder in wrestling was a Vince Russo creation. Well, the murder of wrestling was, but that’s another story. The match begins with everyone making their entrance, Sting being the last one, and he begins brawling with Cactus Jack, who brought a chainsaw to the ring. Rick Steiner makes the save, and soon they’re in the cage, and the match begins. The highlights of this absolute farce are few, and they have nothing to do with the action going on. First off, the switch that is meant to send ’50,000 volts’ through the chair, keeps falling down, and a referee at ringside keeps having to climb up the side of the cage and put the leaver back up. The second was the introduction of something called the ‘Refer-Eye’, which was a small mobile camera attached to helmet-like piece of apparatus that the referee, Nick Patrick, wore on his head. Every so often during this affair, we’d get shots of the action as seen from the Refer-Eye, and the picture would shake like someone having a fit. Nick Patrick must have been being punished for something, because with the helmet on, he looked like a mental patient straight out of a 70’s film who was getting electric shock treatment. Come to think of it, that sounds better than watching this nonsense. The Chair Of Torture comes down after only a few minutes, and the rest of the match sees non-stop monotonous brawling with no rhyme or reason, as each time ‘fights’ to put someone in the Chair Of Torture, all the while with the fatal leaver dropping down every five seconds. Cactus Jack, ever the trooper, bleeds and bumps as best he can within the confines of such a horrible gimmick in an attempt to make the match, but he’s only one man, and it’ll take something special to save this pile of horse manure. Alas, that something special doesn’t happen, and we’re forced to watch as about a dozen jobbers dressed in orderly outfits and covered in so much white powder you’d think that Jake Roberts had just sneezed, come to ringside carrying a stretcher, which Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone tell us is for the unfortunate soul who gets juiced. Guys, the stretcher is too small for the whole locker room. In the midst of this meandering chaos with no purpose, and with a hooded jobber popping out of one of the caskets in the cage only to get beaten up by Rick Steiner thus making it mean nothing, Abdullah and Rick Steiner fight by the chair as Cactus climbs the cage to reach the leaver. Cactus gets to the switch, but in the meantime Rick belly-to-belly ‘suplexes’ (If you can even call it a suplex) Abdullah into the chair, straps him in and puts the metal headpiece on him, as an unsuspecting Cactus pulls the leaver sending 50,000 volts into Abdullah. Someone send 50,000 volts into me, and end this mess. The lights flicker while sparks and crackles echo throughout the arena as Abdullah, much like my brain after watching this, gets fried. Everyone except Cactus walks off, and the cage is raised up as Cactus checks on his sometimes tag team partner, who is bleeding a fair bit. Cactus pokes at a seemingly unconscious Abdullah, before Abby opens his eyes, decks Cactus, and storms out of the ring, kicking away at the jobbers, with Cactus in hot pursuit, who himself begins beating up the jobbers in white coats. Rating: What can you say about an abomination of such monolithic proportions that it almost makes Vince Russo’s mental excreta look like good television ? Just that it was the single worst pre-Russo insult to the intelligence of the viewing public, and that the intellectual muppet who came up with this concept should be forced to watch it on a perpetual loop until they puke up their toenails. The wrestling was only Lieutenant Suck, but the concept was Three Star Admiral Suck, with an honorable discharge.

I know that they were, but depending on who you beleived, UT was going to do the job at the GAB. And even if people were griping about him (which they were, and I was one of those people due to the stereotypical crap of the gimmick, not the person doing said gimmick.), it seemed like to me that they were committed to making Hassan a player on Smackdown, giving him a spot in the mythical title match, and giving him significant promo time. Maybe its just me. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Before all the negative press, Hassan was going to face Batista at Summerslam, but he wasn't going to win the belt.

For games I'll take seriously, I'll go with TNA and New Japan. I'll try and make TNA into a real competitor for WWE, and I'll try and make New Japan great again. For fun, I'll take WWE and give everyone silly gimmicks and see how long it takes for me to get fired by making insane decisions.

Takayuki Yugi, Anthony W. Mori and Ryo Saito vs. Stevie Tsujimoto, Masato Yoshino and Milano Collection AT – 2/3 falls, T2P, January 23rd 2002 Notes: This was in the six-sided ring. Milano was putting all three of the babyfaces in some weird and crazy looking submission holds all night. These were the kind of strange looking holds you don’t normally see outside of Lucha Libre. Milano is super fast in the ring. No matter what he was doing, whether it was putting on a hold, getting out of one, or moving around the ring; Milano was moving at lightning speed. One spot saw the heels whip the babyfaces into different corners, and then take turns hitting all the babyfaces with various moves, so you see one heel hit one babyface, then sprint to another and hit him, and then spring to the other to hit him as well. One crazy Milano submission has him take Saito up in a cradle piledriver position, but he ties Saito up in some crazy looking submission hold and just stand there holding him up. In a twist, the heels win clean in two straight falls, with Milano pinning Yugi with a cradle in about eight minutes, and then eight minutes later Milano ties Saito up in another crazy submission hold and the referee eventually calls for the bell, even though I don’t think Saito tapped out. Rating: ** I wanted to like this match, I really did, especially when I enjoyed the earlier T2P match, but it didn’t really do much for me. There were some crazy looking holds, moves and counters, but that’s all there was. There wasn’t much of a story, and I don’t think there was any selling at all. They just went from move/counter/submission to move/counter/submission, with nothing between them. The match is entertaining in a way, but it really isn’t worth seeing unless you’ve got some time to kill.

Best guess is that they didn't know for sure they had Brock beyond the one date when the match was made, and wanted him in the biggest match they could put together.

That isn't the point. The point is the nature of the no-compete clause Brock had when compared to the no-compete clauses other guys got. If Brock goes to court and makes his non-compete look restrictive enough to be voided, who knows if the judge might take a look at the normal no-compete clause and decide to take a look at that and maybe strike that down too. WWE can't take that chance. That's some really deep insight right there. He hasn't wrestled in the ring for over a year. He is going to be rusty, without a doubt. He might have that force and be full of fire, but when you haven't wrestled for over a year, you don't come back as if you've never left. With Brock, they've got a guy they can build around, and they've got the type of guy they love to build around. He's big, got strength, he can work his ass off, and he has tons of talent. Is it really hard to predict what New Japan would do with someone like that? With their new direction, including relations with NOAH being 'frozen', it's unlikely they'll work with K-1 HEROES, especially not when it comes to possibly screwing up the closest thing they've got to a sure fire thing.

They think Savage is as crazy as the Warrior.

The only logical finish is Fujita pinning Chono. If Lesnar is in for more than one date is it would seem, then they need to end the event with Fujita and Lesnar squaring off to build up to their singles match, which should headline the Dome in January.

WWE has the most talented roster, but that's because they can, at the moment, afford to throw money at talent that in some cases they have no real interest in, and just want them because TNA or someone else does. If WWE were forced to cut their roster to the same size as, say, New Japan or All Japan, then the answer would be different, because WWE would have to choose the guys they really want, and in most cases they go with looks over talent.

At least it's not reached DVDR levels and it's not almost entirely filled with pinned threads. In any event, it's not like we're keeping quality discussion from the first page.

Bull Nakano Best hair ever. Nakano was a very scary woman, and she did the legdrop off the top of a cage long before Matt Hardy did it. She was a great worker, and if you only saw Nakano in the WWF then you didn’t see her at her best. Robbie Brookside I’ve seen him wrestle a few times, and he looked ok. I haven’t seen enough to give a more in-depth opinion. "Squire" Dave Taylor I liked watching Taylor wrestle, and he and Regal made a great tag team. Scotty Riggs Bland and uninteresting, I wish he really would get the clap so I never have to see him wrestle again.

How about what Brock could do in New Japan, seeing as how it looks almost certain he is wrestling there? How about what this means to anyone else in the future who wants a release from WWE while under contract? How about what this means is the actual strength of the non-complete clauses in WWE contracts, as opposed to their perceived strength. There is a lot to talk about here, if people were able or willing to use their brains. I know that's a tall order for a lot of people around here, but give it a try. That doesn't stop the people who have common sense from using it. Assuming Brock has obtained some kind of release from WWE, it's logical to conclude it allows him to compete in Japan, and just as logical to conclude that, given how WWE feels, it precludes Brock wrestling in North America. Common sense says he'll be rusty to some degree. That much should be obvious. Assuming Brock is wrestling in New Japan beyond the Dome event and is there for any length of time, and that you yourself have said New Japan is in decline, is it really that hard to work out what New Japan's plans for Brock would be? Really, is it? This thread belongs in the Other Promotions folder, because it deals with Brock wrestling in a promotion that isn't WWE. All the fluff has been removed. Let's make sure it stays that way.

I wouldn't call it hideous.

Austin Aries Aries is a good worker, and I thought he was put in a very tough position in ROH with having to follow Samoa Joe as ROH Champion. I don't think he reached that real top level at ROH during his reign, but I think he definitely raised his stature. If the TNA booking team have any sense, they'll do something good with Aries. Kevin Steen I don't think I've seen him wrestle. Super Dragon I've seen few SD matches, and I've not been impressed by him at all. Ric Flair Flair gets overrated by a lot of people. He was entertaining on the mic, but he didn't often do an interview that I felt sold tickets. His matches could be good, sometimes really good, but he wrestled pretty much the same match over and over again, with the same spots in the same order. Milano Collection AT I've seen MC wrestle a few times in the T2P promotion, and I was entertained. John Madden Never paid him much attention, and not really a fan.

The only major change in that photo is Brock doesn't have the defined abs he used to. He still looks to be in shape.

Interesting, interesting.

It was a good episode. My favorite part was you asking Dames his opinion on various posters.

This was my first time doing anything like this, and with me being DA's first co-host, and I assume his first co-host at anything, I didn't know how it was all going to play out, so I was bracing myself in case it all imploded.

You liked the Nash one, then. Scott Hall Hall had great charisma, and was a really good worker and could be very good to have on the roster. Hall’s demons are well known, and it’s a shame that he is unable to beat those demons while involved in wrestling, because Hall probably still has something to add to wrestling in some fashion. Bobby Heenan Heenan was a great manager, I guess, but he never did anything for me. I hated him on commentary because he was terrible at getting people over and focusing on the product, and seemed more interested in playing off of Gorilla in a vain attempt at being funny. I never liked Heenan as a manager, I never liked him on commentary, and I really have to fight the urge to turn the television off when he appears. Terry Funk Funk is a legend, and for good reason. In his prime, Funk was incredibly entertaining in everything he did from interviews to matches, and could make just about anyone look good. Goldberg Goldberg gets a very raw deal from a lot of people, and they put him down to an absurd degree. His attitude could have done with some improving when it came to upping his game, but he was still a decent worker. He could sell well when he had to, which he did far more often than he should have, and he could be carried to some really good matches. Goldberg could have been something really special in WCW, and he was until Kevin Nash killed it dead to feed his ego (thanks Nash, you fucking cunt), and he could have been something special in WWE but the usual suspects put paid to that. Owen Hart Owen was an exciting worker and was really fun to watch, but despite what emotion has told people, he was not a Hall of Fame level worker. Hiroshi Tanahashi Tanahashi is the future of New Japan, or at least he should be if New Japan get off their Nakamura fixation. Tanahashi has Nakamura beat in every department, be it talent, charisma, personality, or whatever you care to name. If Lesnar gets the IWGP title, either at October’s Dome event or January’s, then Tanahashi should be built up to be the guy who beats Lesnar for the belt. Naomichi Marufuji Marufuji can play a great babyface in peril. He can fly like crazy, sell like crazy, and he gets those high pitched pops, so you know he’s got the babyface act down pat. Ultimo Dragon Ultimo was a great talent, and he could have been an even bigger name if not for a dumb surgeon who fucked his elbow up. Dragon is also a great trainer, having trained some really great talents. The Road Warriors The Warriors drew a lot of money and could do their thing very well. Trouble was they couldn’t do much once it came time for them to do something other than squash people. Sting Sting was a guy who could have been a big thing in wrestling, but Sting couldn’t carry things on his own without someone strong to play off of, and that really held him back when it come to really shinning. Barry Windham Windham had all the talent and raw ability to carry a company; Meltzer has even said Windham was a better wrestler than Flair. It’s just a shame that outside influences kept Windham from reaching the level his talent warranted. KOAB You seem alright. Ripper I can live without Ripper.

I'm glad people were happy with my work on the show. As for my accent, deep voice, etc, I sound nothing like that in person.

Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels is the single most overrated wrestler of the modern era. Shawn Michaels is a great performer, though his ego prevents him from being called an all-time great, but as a wrestler Shawn was below average at best. If we’re going to talk about Shawn, let’s do it one part at a time: Mic Work: If Shawn is able, or decides, to be his real prick self, he has great delivery and can really get some great heat with the crowd. The problem is that Shawn is usually in the babyface position, and as such his interviews are not that good, and they certainly don’t have the impact that his heel interviews have. Another problem is that even if Shawn is the babyface, and it could be because Vince says he can or Shawn simply decides he wants to, Shawn has a tendency to be a bit of a smart ass, and in a way that shows up the heel, and not the right way. That isn’t what a babyface is meant to do, and nobody who does that, either because they don’t know better, or in Shawn’s case because they’re just being a prick, can be called an all-time great, or even a great, really. Repertoire Shawn’s range of moves was decent, but decent was about it. That’s not really a knock on Shawn, because Shawn’s strengths were not his wide range of moves, but we’re being honest here. A vast repertoire isn’t necessarily a requirement to be an all-time great, though you need to be able to make up for a limited repertoire, and Shawn had the capability to do that. Psychology: For the most part, Shawn’s psychology and timing is really good. He knows how to make a stiff look good, and he knows how to make the most of a limited opponent. However, Shawn’s ego can get the better of him a lot of the times, and he does stuff that is totally out of place and makes no sense other than a blatant attempt to steal the spotlight when the spotlight should be on something else, whether it is the match because it’s still building, or whatever. An example of this would be the WM XX main event, where Shawn did a moonsault off the top rope onto Benoit and Hunter only two or three minutes into the match. It was too big a move too soon, and it took too much attention away from the match as a whole, and put too much of it on Shawn. It was also a bad move to do because you’re meant to save the bigger moves and dives for later in the match and actually build to them, not just pull them out because you can and you feel like it. Selling Shawn could sell his ass off when he felt like it, but he had a horrible tendency to stop selling when it came time to make his comeback. Shawn would sell great when he was getting the heat, and I won’t deny that, but when Shawn made his comeback, with few exceptions, he would be bouncing and prancing around the ring like he was perfectly fine, and no-sold everything that had been done to him up to that point. This wasn’t a babyface showing fire or fighting through the pain, like some have tried to claim; this was complete no-selling. He didn’t wince, limp, grab at an injured body part or do anything that would tell you he was in pain or had just taken a beating. Take a look at his recent PPV match with Chris Masters. When Shawn made his comeback, apart from a two-minute Masterlock spot, he stopped selling everything that Masters had done to him. Even in the post-match, Shawn was parading around and smiling, and he wasn’t even selling a wince or a grimace from the supposed beating he had just taken. Another problem where Shawn’s ego came to the front was his Summerslam match with Hogan. Shawn took some of the most contrived, theatrical and over-the-top bumps, and he totally killed whatever suspense or drama was meant to be getting built. Shawn was so intent on sating his ego and letting everyone know, not that many needed to be told, that Shawn was carrying Hogan, that he took some stupid and completely nonsensical bumps. Witness Hogan ramming Shawn’s head into the turnbuckle, and Shawn hitting a rolling senton off of it. That was completely stupid, pathetic and so totally unnecessary, and was just another example of Shawn letting his infamously huge ego get in the way of business. Overall: Is Shawn a great performer? Yes. Is Shawn a great wrestler? No. Not even close. Does he have talent? Yes. Is Shawn an all-time great? No.

Naomichi Marufuji, Takuma Sano, Yoshinari Ogawa and Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Makoto Hashi, Akitoshi Saito and Jun Akiyama – NOAH, January 21st 2002 (Elimination) Notes: The match starts off with the heel team, captained by Akiyama, dumping all the babyfaces except for Ogawa out of the ring and the heels take turns working over Ogawa. Akiyama winds up hitting Ogawa with an exploder suplex, but Ogawa kicks out at one. Marufuji is incredibly fast and fluid with everything he does; from aerial moves to wrestling, Marufuji moves with such grace and fluidity that it’s a joy to watch. From time to time, Akiyama rolls to the floor to sell his left shoulder, which is all taped up, so he seems to have gone into the match with an injury. #1 fall: Akitoshi Saito pinned Takuma Sano in 11:10 after a head kick, after the other three members of the heel team took turns to hit a big move on Sano. They got heat on Marufuji and beat on him for a while, with Marufuji taking a Ricky Morton-like pounding. #2 fall: Kanemaru pinned Marufuji in 19:25 with a backslide following a lowblow. #3 fall: Misawa pinned Saito in 20:26 with a running elbow after Ogawa used his jawbreaker on Saito. #4 fall: Akiyama pinned Ogawa in 22:19 after two exploder suplexes #5 fall: Misawa pinned Hashi in 23:28 after a tiger driver #6 fall: Misawa pinned Kanemaru in 24:55 after an Emerald Frosion #7 fall: Misawa beat Akiyama in 27:14 by TKO with a reverse cross armbreaker on Akiyama’s injured shoulder. Rating: *** The rating makes the match sound worse than it is, because the match is fun to watch, and is a really solid affair that tells a good story. The only thing I would change is the booking, and I would have had all the heels beat up on Misawa at the start and have him eliminated first to surprise people, and I would have had Marufuji play the face in peril part at the end and wind up the winner. The match is not at the level people will think it should be at, but don’t let that put you off from watching what is a really fun near-30 minute match.