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spman

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Posts posted by spman

  4. Posted · Report reply

    I'm pretty sure Bill Watts' ex-wife owns most of the footage and they've tried to get it from her in the past, but she won't sell or wants a ton of money for it. She has no problem licensing it for an endless amount of 99 Cent Wal-Mart DVDs and PPVs however.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    1. Who are you and what's your business here?

     

    I've been here since the very beginning, came over from SKeith's old website

     

    2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

     

    I specifically remember watching an episode of Superstars / Challange or whatever it was on my Birthday in 1992 which featured Berzerker winning a battle royal. I didn't begin watching on a regular basis however until around the first episode of RAW

     

    3. The Company Line:

    A. I've been a WWE mark almost exclusively. I briefly kept up with what was going on in WCW from 1996-1998ish, but it never really held my attention much.

     

    B. I was always and will always be a WWE mark in my heart. Does American Gladiators count?

     

    C. Probably nothing, since I only skip through RAW on my DVR and read the results online, and I ignore ECW and Smackdown

     

    4. (Not So) Favourites:

    A. I always dug Crush, even when he turned heel. I really liked Macho Man too, so it was quite the conflict for me when they had their feud. I was a big mark for Bob Backlund during his heel turn as well.

    B. Diesel annoyed the crap out of me, even as a young mark I knew he was worthless. I never particularly cared for The British Bulldog for some reason either. I always hated Lex Luger with a passion.

    C. I find Santino amusing, although he utter lack of in ring ability kills any hope I might have for him. I dig Miz and Morrison a lot as well. Randy Orton is probably the best heel they've got right now. I'm apathetic towards just about everyone else.

     

    Specific Questions about your Interest

     

    5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

     

    I don't care enough to watch anything regularly, but I'm still a mark in my heart. I don't completely ignore the product, but it's not exactly a major part of my life either. When the live shows come around, assuming my schedule is free, I usually make it a point to go, but it's more an excuse to hang out with friends then actively wanting to watch the shows. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being no interest at all and 10 being the focal point of your life, I'd say I was at a 4.

     

    Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

     

    PPV never really excited me as a kid because I never had the capacity to order them. I used to watch the scrambled feed and listen to the commentary just so I could keep up with what was going on, but that was about it. I work most monday nights now, so I fast forward through my DVR of RAW when I get home, and usually discover that I didn't miss very much at all.

     

    6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

    When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

     

     

    Hmm, I would say as a child my interest peaked right arouind 1997, reaching it's peak at Survivor Series of that year and declining from there. 1998 and 1999 are a blur to me, I seem to remember having watched when I could, but I don't remember being nearly as compelled as I had been prior. I started watching again more frequently around late-1999, and had a resurgance of interest from then right up through about the end of the Invasion around the time Jericho won the belts. I think the major fuck up that was the Invasion angle really made me lose interest. I got interested again around the time Eric Bischoff came back and was in charge of RAW, but once they threw him in the trash, I lost interest again.

     

    7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

    Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

     

    I think a combination of Eddie and Benoit passing away, along with the shitting all over ECW pretty much did it for me. I think the ECW thing in particular cemented the idea in my head that Vince McMahon only has one vision of what Professional Wrestling is, and has no intent on ever deviating from that mindset.

     

    8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

     

    I've stuck through some real low points like 1995 and 2003, but I've never completely abandoned it.

     

    9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

     

    Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

     

    10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

     

    I like matches that tell a story ie: Flair vs Steamboat, Bret vs Backlund, Bret vs Michaels Iron Man

     

    Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

     

    Nope, pretty much always been the case

     

    11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

    Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

     

    I gave up any hope for Kayfabe a long time ago. Nothing is completely out of the question anymore.

     

    12. Do you attend live events?

    And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

     

    I actually prefer Indy shows a lot more then WWE, it's always a lot more fun and a lot more intimate. I do still attend WWE when I have the chance, but not nearly as often as I used to.

     

    13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

     

    Worst: I had terrible seats once for RAW shortly before Survivor Series 2003, the view was obscured and I could hardly see anything.

     

    Best: Absolutely fantastic seats for the RAW 15th anniversary where I got to live out my dream of seeing Hulk Hogan live, even if it was just for an in ring promo.

     

    14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

     

    Royal Rumble 1992, Bret winning the belt at Wrestlemania X, Jericho winning the belt on RAW in 2000 only to have the decision reversed, Benoit and Jericho beat Triple H and Austin for the tag belts in 2001, Eddie wins the title in February 2004, Benoit wins the title in April 2004

     

    15. Freestyle

    Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

     

    I am more then able to separate Chris Benoit the person from Chris Benoit the wrestler. Whatever may have gone on in his personal life doesn't taint his in ring contributions in my mind at all.

     

    Again, just have fun with it. If it comes off as lame, I apologize, but I'm hoping it brings the "wrestling sections" of the board closer together instead of further apart.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    The problem with simply rotating wrestlers in the manner you describe is that it becomes impossible to make any long term plans, particularly in regards to titles. If Cena is the champ, and everyone knows his time off is coming, then everyone also can assume that he's going to be dropping the belt as well. Kayfabe may be dead, but a change like that would alter the entire dynamic of what pro wrestling is, and would essentially just change it into a serialized television show.

  7. Posted · Report reply

    An "off season" so to speak would never happen in a million years. It would result in millions of dollars in lost revenue that would destroy a publically traded company like WWE. The only reasonable solution is rotating schedules where guys get say 3 or 4 months off at a time. Maybe use it to extend the brand split, give RAW a vacation for a few months and have an extra Smackdown / ECW show every week on Mondays, then give Smackdown / ECW a vacation for a few months while RAW gets the Tuesday and Friday night slots. If WWE had a much deeper roster than they currently do, this would work fine, but given the fact that they don't, and contractual obligation they have for advertisers and television networks, it will never happen.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    As an high ranking manager for a certain nation wide theater chain, I certainly don't recommend doing this, but for those of you living in areas where the film won't be opening for a few weeks, if ever, there's a DVD screener out there if you know where to look that's essentially as good quality wise as you're going to get when it's actually released on DVD. I watched the film last night, and it was certainly amongst the best I've seen so far amongst the movies that qualify for the Oscars. Not sure if it'll win best picture, as the Academy goes back and fourth between the art house product and the mainstream films, so Dark Knight might have enough steam behind it to actually pull through, but if the Academy goes with the art picture this year, this HAS to win it by far. I thought it treated pro-wrestling fairly and accurately and didn't mock it at all. Rourke was perfect as the down and out champ who just can't give it up, and everything in the film is a sad and unfortunate commentary on the lives of many former professional wrestling stars ie: Jake the Snake, Scott Hall, and countless others who haven't wrestled nationally in over a decade.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Ok, so no one on my list from last year kicked the bucket, but I thought this through long and hard at work today, and 2009 is going to be my year!

     

    1. Charles Manson best bet

    2. Mills Lane best bet

    3. Roger Ebert

    4. Fred Phelps

    5. Michael Jackson

    6. Ted Kennedy

    7. Patrick Swayze

    8. Hugh Heffner

    9. Sylvester Stallone

    10. Adam West

    11. Kim Jong Il

    12. Abdullah the Butcher

    13. Ronnie James Dio

    14. Artie Lange

    15. Muhammad Ali

    16. Barack Obama

    17. John McCain

    18. Dick Clark

    19. Bill Clinton

    20. Betty White

  10. Posted · Report reply

    Although only a couple of my predictions last year cam true, a lot of them were way off, but I'll try this again

     

    The film "The Wrestler" becomes an overwhelming success, reigniting public interest in Professional Wrestling, but it will be very short lived, and no one will be able to successfully capitalize

     

    ROH will fold after the summer due to dwindling attendance, and an inability to sell their DVDs

     

    TNA will struggle to survive in the current economic climate, but will manage to make it through this year, which could very well end up being their last. Kurt Angle will leave, and make an unsuccessful attempt at Mixed Martial Arts, before returning WWE, working a limited schedule

     

    Despite his lackluster dark match appearence, Tyson Tomko will get himself into shape, come back to RAW, and become a huge star.

     

    Mike Knox ends up getting a Vladmir Kozlov-esque push and works at least one PPV Main Event against John Cena

     

    This will be both Undertaker and Shawn Michaels last year as active competitors, with them wrestling one another in their retirement match at WM 26

     

    Kane will decide to hang up the boots as well, working a limited schedule before being vanquished once and for all by his brother at Summerslam

     

    The new Hart Foundation will never resurface, however the Legacy Faction on RAW will expand to Smackdown and include DH Smith, Natalya, Ray Gordy, and Hennig Jr

     

    Festus, Umaga, Kozlov, Colt Cabana, Hornswaggle, Boogeyman, Carlito, Hawkins, Ryder, Helms, Jimmy Yang, Bob Holly, D-Lo, Jillian, Paul Birchill, Katy Lea, Jamie Noble, and everyone except for the established Superstars on ECW will be in the unemployment line.

     

    Charlie Haas will continue his current gimmick giving us some amusing characters such as Muhammad Haasan and Hunter Haas Helmsly, but will be released after Wrestlemania

     

    WWE will make one last attempt at pushing Mr. Kennedy, but he will blow it with an injury and a wellness violation all in the same week, and get released as a result. He signs on with TNA after his no-compete clause is up and become a huge star over there.

     

    The RAW and Smackdown tag belts will merge futher blurring the lines in the brand split

     

    ECW as we know it will be canceled and get a format change turning it into a Heat / Velocity type show featuring wrestlers from both RAW and Smackdown

     

    WWE will experiment with the old-school six hour taping where an entire months worth of material gets taped all at once, but it won't be successful, and will settle with an every other week schedule where two RAWs get taped back to back on Monday, and two Smackdowns back to back on Tuesday

     

    Future Main Eventers: Ted Dibiase Jr, Mike Knox (Unfortunately), Cody Rhodes, Ezekial, Shad Gaspar

     

    Wrestlers whose importance will dwindle: CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, JBL, Batista

  11. Posted · Report reply

    So who wants to bet there will be a tie finish again? Who is favorite to win? HHH to go on to challenge Hardy? Or will Edge get the title back by then? Who's going to face Cena at WM? Batista would be a good bet.

     

    I'd love to see HBK win the RR and then challenge Undertaker. I think it could be an epic storyline where HBK says he's had the titles before and will god willing fight for titles again, but the chance to fight The Undertaker at WM in Texas and beat him is too good to pass up. HBK vs Undertaker in the Main Event at WM - The Streak vs the Showstopper.

     

    The logical Rumble conclusion to me seems to be Orton winning after eliminating either Edge or Triple H. If they're going to go the Batista vs Cena route however, it would make more sense for either Edge or Triple H to win the Rumble, since I get the feeling the crowd would crap all over Batista winning it.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Man, that is a fucking empty crowd. Poor Savage. There were a lot of foulmouthed fans at ringside. Tons of bleeps during the tag match. And what the FUCK is going on with Bobby Heenan's hair? Yikes.

     

    I ws just about to post this. The crowd at this Philly show looks emptier then the crowd a those final few AWA shows they've been playing on ESPN Classic. They're really bad too, between the swearing, the boring chants, and the general lack of interest. This show really sucked.

     

  14. Posted · Report reply

    As far as I knew, they were pretty close to being completely broke. The family of a person whose funeral they picketed sued last year I believe and won some massive judgement against them, and they had leans placed against most of their assets so the family could collect. I'm sure it's probably tied up in appeals at this point though.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Outdoor Shows do provide a unique ambiance, but unfortunately weather is too large of an unpredictable factor for them to be held with any sort of regularity. WWE took a big risk having WM outdoors this years, and just barely came out unscathed, as it did start raining periodically throughout the event. Weather problems also severely limit the location in which an event could be held. Ideally an area like Las Vegas is the only realistic place to hold them as the weather there is fairly consistent. The weather in the Northeast is extremely volatile no matter what time of year it is, the winter is way too cold and the summer is way too hot, so it would never work out. It's not like baseball either where it can easily be rescheduled for another day, the show would have to go on rain or shine. Outdoor shows also present the issue of having to fill an outdoor arena, which can be difficult, and also the fact that they would likely have to charge much lower prices to convince people to go to a show outdoors then indoors. If you want to see a great example of an outdoor show gone horribly wrong, check out the Hulk Still Rules DVD. There's a Hulk vs Studd match on there that takes place outdoor in Puerto Rico, and about three minutes into the match there's just a complete and total downpour. Everyone starts slipping around, and they go for an immediate finish. Now imagine this happening during the opening match of a Pay Per View.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    This doesn't really surprise me. From what I've heard, attendance and merchandise sales have both taken a dive as of late, and the company has been operating at a loss for some time now. I was at the show in Danbury, CT on Friday, it only drew maybe 300-350 tops, most of whom seemed completely bored, and I saw almost no one buying any merchandise to speak of. I heard that last nights show in New Jersey had an even small crowd, so things can't possibly be good. Television will only speed up their death even faster. The market just isn't big enough for three wrestling products anymore, and with WWE's ratings in the toilet, TNA's ratings even worse, that leaves very little hope for ROH on TV. It's a shame too, as I really like ROH, but I guess the economy affects everything.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    If you're really interested in this kind of info, www.campaignmoney.com will give you a pretty good idea of what a persons leanings are. Vince McMahon has given quite a bit to various GOP related causes over the years, while Glen Jacobs has given money to both Ron Paul and Bob Barr.

     

     

     

  22. Posted · Report reply

    In all honesty, had Hogan not left WWF in 1993, he probably would have had an extended feud with Giant Gonzalez probably leading to Summerslam. He likely would have dropped the belt back to Yokozuna at some point, and would have stayed out of the main event, but still on the upper card feuding with Diesel, Brian Clark, Shawn Michaels, Bam Bam Bigelow, etc. He likely would have turned heel at some point in 1994, and had runs with Hogan, Undertaker, Luger, Tatanka, amongst others. Regardless of whether or not he went to WCW however, I don't see him lasting in WWF for any longer then 1995 or so, as he would have just completely run out of steam like he did in WCW around that same time, the crowd would completely turn against him, not in a heel heat type of way, but more of get this guy off TV heat, and he likely would have been been put out to pasture by the end of 1995.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    For 2009, I would love to se ea set on the Hart Family, or maybe one specifically centered on The British Bulldog

    Best of Starrcade

    History of the Intercontinental Title

    A Ted Dibiase set

    a WCW History disc

    The Greatest Tag Teams

    Greatest Superstars of the 90's

    and even though it will never happen, I would love to see Documentaries on Randy Savage, Bruno Sammartino, and Bob Backlund

  25. Posted · Report reply

    According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, former WWE Superstar and ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Justin Credible, is now working as a cook at an Olive Garden in Waterbury, Connecticut.

     

    Credible, who also wrestled in the WWF as the "Portugese Man-O-War, Aldo Montoya" in the mid-90s, was released from his latest stint in WWE in September 2006.

     

    Bwahaha, I work at the mall that Olive Garden is in. Credible has been working F Level indies here in CT for a while now, but has been doing nothing else of note otherwise.

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