Steve J. Rogers

Another good vintage WCW one is, well it was either the show Goldberg debuted or the week after and I say that because Goldberg was treated as a complete unknown except that he had played with the Atlanta Falcons So Rey Misterio has a match against another masked wrestler who the announcers, especially Mr. Lucha Mike Tenay, have no clue about called "El Fuego" Well since the fans start realizing who the wrestler really is based on obvious mannerisms the announcers slowly make the connection that its Eddie Guerrero under the mask! But at the end of the match Eddie gets unmasked and he reacts like any ordinary masked wrestler would and goes through the whole "OH NO GOT TO HIDE THE FACE" routine Fun stuff Steve

A fun Eddy moment was during a bit WCW did on the heritage of the masks in lucha libre wrestling promotions and somewhere Eddy had a Hair vs Mask match which he lost, and they showed a photo of Eddy sans the mullet Well they had Eddy in an interview segment actually saying that the next time he would ever face this particular wrestler (I don't know off hand, I don't think it was anyone that has appeared in WCW/WWF/WWE especially during Eddy's time on the rosters) again that he would take the mask off! I forget exactly when in the storyline the piece aired, a couple of times Bischoff was really gun ho about taking masks off, they had a Rey-Eddy feud over Rey's mask I believe around this particular time I think Kaynon as Mortis was also supposed to be someone who would eventually do "Mask vs Mask" with some of the luchas, and of course theres Chris Jericho's run as well as a "mask remover"

"I did it FOR DA ROCK!" They kind of slapped that detail late in the game there as well. Okay Kish, you ran over Austin, then why couldn't you get someone to prevent Big Show from beating Rocky in the match that night!

Of course its the Austin face turn of that whole mess that really is the stupid one. No story, just "Okay, here is Austin again, hey lets cheer him! Oh he gives Vince a stunner? HELL YEAH he is a face again!" Even the announcers never mentioned a thing I mean if a turn story needed to be told THIS WAS IT! Why is he welcomed back in the locker room with open arms? Shouldn't there have been a promo with Austin telling the locker room his standard DTA promo? "WHAT? You say I'm a traitor? WHAT? That I'm a turncoat? WHAT? What do I keep saying huh? WHAT? DTA! WHAT? DONT WHAT? TRUST WHAT? ANYONE! WHAT? Thats right WHAT? Does it matter why? WHAT? Well my name is Stone Cold Steve Austin WHAT? And I'm still WWF Champion WHAT? I'm still the champ! What? I'm not here to win back anyone's damn trust WHAT? Thats right WHAT? That ain't what I am WHAT? And thats WHAT? the damndest bottom line What? That I ever bottom lined."

It was basically explained by Edge in a backstage skit(i think it was Edge). He said that Angle was only in it for himself. If the Alliance won then yeah Kurt was a part of the winning team and nobody knows he was a mole. If the WWF won then he's the mole and the hero that saves it all. He was just in it for himself and you know that's dickish and all and makes people go "boo" or something. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Also same RAW Rocky called him out for still being the guy that wacked him with a chair for the heel turn and said "Kurt, you are not a hero, you are an asshole!" Also when Kurt came out for the final segment JR was starting to sing a different tune. King says "Hey Kurt saved the WWF!" to which JR said "Yeah but do we have to give him a damn parade?" To me both of those seemed very sterotypical of the average "what have you done for me lately" BS that sport fans have towards guys who have won for their teams. You know, the ones who boo Derek Jeter/Mariano Rivera and actually give excuses as to why they boo players who should never be booed The Edge one kind of makes sense, but you need more background to truely get that it is part of the Kurt character's nature, i.e. trying to form past relationships with both Shane and Steph, and the whole sucking up to Austin-McMahon during that summer rather than mentioning it as a throw-away "lets explain why you should boo the "hero" of Survivor Series" backstage bit

I doubt you'd get on, and even if you did there'd be no reaction, and I doubt he said anything yesterday A) His show (like all ESPN programing) is structured that whatever is being talked about that quarter hour, thats all that can be discussed. So if Colin is talking football, that is the subject that he will ONLY take calls on and B) Colin style is to let the caller make one quick statement and thats it. He may react, he may go to the next caller or break, but you are only allowed an opening sentence (often he'll cut you in mid sentence) ESPN Radio is not a debate style radio when it comes to callers, callers are treated like something the hosts "HAVE TO DO" rather than something they "WANT TO DO" Steve

By the way, probably is more indicitive of the ESPN attitude towards wrestling as former ESPN SportsCenter host Craig Kilborn had, well not entirely simmilar, but equally hurtfull and distastefull considering the cirumstances that happened, comments on his Late Night show when Owen died Basically because Owen died as "The Blue Blazer" Kilborn in his news segment mentioned that wrestler "Blue Blazer" had died by plummeting from the rafters, then a shot of Road Warrior Hawk appeared as Kilborn read "...but in good news, his tag team partner "White Turtleneck" surrived" Bit morbid humor, and it does "mock" the strange names of wrestling characters, but not the kind to have literally days after the very real Owen Hart died Steve

He's a sports radio host. His job is to stir up shit. That being said, it's cold to say that about anyone who dies... let alone a wrestler that Cowherd probably knows nothing about. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A gem happened on Friday's show to show you where Cowherd comes from. A 12 year old got on and made a damn good point about Stephon Marbury. Cowherd then proceeds, not to debate the kid but absoultly rip him and tell the audience that he doesn't want anymore kids calling the show. Never mentions the point the kid made, nor the fact that the kid actually sounded pretty good, just went on an anti kid calling a radio show rant

Cowheard went off today on Fantasy Football geeks, apparantly he had read an article on how widespread among the mass population Fantasy Football is and the amount of affluent WASPS play Fantasy Football he ended up "aplogizing" for his usual anti-Fantasy Football rants So if wrestling ever pulled first run CSI like ratings on a weekly basis and Wrestlemania had as many buys as the Super Bowl had raitings shares then guys like Cowherd would take wrestling seriously Actually, the Bonzells and Mushnicks of the world should be paid attention to more, as they are the only mainstreamers talking wrestling. Even at a constant negative position, it is something that SHOULD be picked up on Steve

Yeah, but here (and with Owen) its like everyone is making it seem that HHH is being just a shill who never liked or cared about the guy in the first place Same thing also happened with the Shane McMahon "Wakeing the Blazer" story on the Owen Hart Raw where Bret vhemetly said the story about the prank Shane said he and Bret pulled on Owen never happened. Put it this way, its like media pundits acting all remorse and reflective on say Ronald Regan and Richard Nixon when everyone knows they all hated both former presidents and ripped them to shreds when they were alive

Rumor has it that Orton was supposedly going to win. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Meltzer apparantly said Orton was going over originally

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> They (anti-HHH people) said this about HHH and Chyna's remarks on the Owen Raw Geez, Triple H can't do ANYTHING without anti HHH guys questioning his motives or the veracity of what he is saying

Edge, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Chavo Guerrero. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Pretty much that autum, up untill Benoit left to win the Royal Rumble, jump to RAW and face off with Triple H for the World Title, those three teams (Edge/Rey, Angle/Benoit, Eddie/Chavo) fought for the newly created Smackdown tag titles Edge was in midst of yet another God push after Hogan jumped ship, (he and Edge were partners early on that summer, kind of pushing the "guy tagging with his 'idol'" storyline) Rey was the new guy so they put them together as the main face team. I think Benoit/Angle were tweeners during the period and the Guerreros started out as heels but turned face because their "We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" was a fun gimmick Steve

Okay, so it appears that I am over reacting a bit and so far its their usual non-coverage of the early goings of the NHL We don't get Kausilius here in NYC and I haven't listened to the weekend Game Nights since the end of the baseball regular season, and like I said I never watch the "mothership" on a regular basis either So my rant should have waited to see if they did anything come playoffs/finals time Steve

I've been noticing a severe lack of hockey talk on ESPN national radio broadcasts, granted its still way too early in the season, but a week in and the NBA talk is allready in high gear I don't watch ESPN's SportsCenter and other shows so I don't know how the games are being covered but listening to the radio makes it seem that the NHL is still being locked out! I mean it seems entire shows which are general sport shows seem to be dedicated to football talk! And I know its early, but the start of the NBA season was pretty much crammed down everyone's throats Tell you what though, I don't think this is a "Sport killed off by labor strife" deal as ESPN was all over the NBA's return in 1999 and of course baseball in 1995, I mean its still a major deal here in North America that deserves to be covered I could be jumping the gun because the sterotype is that hockey is "invisible" untill the postseason, and ESPN will be covering the playoffs But my thinking is that somehow the NHL being on OLN has something to do with the "Freeze Out" of NHL talk and coverage

It depends on the presentation Could have been a nasty hanging where the guy's eyes were bugged out and he was gurguling or whatever (though I'm sure suicides there is a serenity to it and none of the "fighting back" that an execution would have) Though I have a feeling its more an angry parent embelishing on the situation and the reactions (if as extreme as they say) came more from spoiled boredom and they probably would have done that a few minutes into Chicken Little depending on how loud or "extreme" the presentation is Steve

1997 and 1999 for Owen Damaramu said in the last couple of years... And I'll guess Damaramu is thinking of Junk Yard Dog who died a few years back

Read a Mark Madden piece on WCW.com the night after, now I don't know if it was meant as a kayfabe commentary or a hint of things to come, but Madden seemed to think that the 2000 version of the nWo would be more like an old fashioned stable concerned more with collecting titles rather than the "organization" that all previous nWo incarnations (and the future WWE version) tried to be. Basically going old school stable (Horsemen, Evolution, Hart Foundation, ect) with the nWo name Course injuries and lack of drawing power was the reason the plug was pulled there as probably the biggest angle in WCW's history went out for the final time with a complete and utter whimper Steve <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Also in the original column Madden actually compared all the gold the nWo was holding to the Horsemen circa 88 (Flair, Arn, Tully and Windham)! Steve

Read a Mark Madden piece on WCW.com the night after, now I don't know if it was meant as a kayfabe commentary or a hint of things to come, but Madden seemed to think that the 2000 version of the nWo would be more like an old fashioned stable concerned more with collecting titles rather than the "organization" that all previous nWo incarnations (and the future WWE version) tried to be. Basically going old school stable (Horsemen, Evolution, Hart Foundation, ect) with the nWo name Course injuries and lack of drawing power was the reason the plug was pulled there as probably the biggest angle in WCW's history went out for the final time with a complete and utter whimper Steve

Right, I stand corrected

Difference is, JBL is a heel and a shill character John Cena it would have been different. Hell Cena was the first "star" made on SmackDown! and he decided to go to RAW So that move prompeted the top heel Kurt Angle to jump as well to chase the belt

I'll give you one that can probably crystailze WCW's existence, the first nWo Souled Out in 1997 Great idea, horrible execution, returned to even more disasterous results with nWo Nitro later in the year Pretty much summed up most of WCW's bad decisions both before and after Steve

I remember reading something about HBK and HHH working to sabotage Rock early in his career (I vaguely remember a rumor about them lobbying to have him job the I-C belt to Bret or something like that), plus there was that promo back in 02 where HBK took a cheap shot at Rock out of the blue ("...just like the Rock is jealous of Hunter"), so there could be some kinda heat between these two. Anyway, I wouldn't rule out a match between these two. There's a poll on WWE.com asking whether or not people would wanna see HBK vs the Rock, and as you can imagine most people voted yes. This could all be a work to get people interested in a match between the two. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Around the time of HHH's first reign I think HBK was mouthing off about Rock which was one of the reasons behind HBK's "dissaperance" after turning heel and it seemed the original DX had reformed with Shane McMahon in the Rick Rude role That was on a Smackdown I believe, HBK was to be the ref in a Rock-HHH main event and HBK ended up delivering SCM to Rock giving Hunter the win, then he, HHH, Chyna and Shane celebrated HBK would not be seen again, save for some promotional apperances at the WWF NY and such untill joining the nWo in 2002 Steve <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thats right, I stand corrected. And yeah I did forget all those apperances in 2000, all pretty much "One Shots" and under his title as "WWF Ambassador" or something Steve

I remember reading something about HBK and HHH working to sabotage Rock early in his career (I vaguely remember a rumor about them lobbying to have him job the I-C belt to Bret or something like that), plus there was that promo back in 02 where HBK took a cheap shot at Rock out of the blue ("...just like the Rock is jealous of Hunter"), so there could be some kinda heat between these two. Anyway, I wouldn't rule out a match between these two. There's a poll on WWE.com asking whether or not people would wanna see HBK vs the Rock, and as you can imagine most people voted yes. This could all be a work to get people interested in a match between the two. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Around the time of HHH's first reign I think HBK was mouthing off about Rock which was one of the reasons behind HBK's "dissaperance" after turning heel and it seemed the original DX had reformed with Shane McMahon in the Rick Rude role That was on a Smackdown I believe, HBK was to be the ref in a Rock-HHH main event and HBK ended up delivering SCM to Rock giving Hunter the win, then he, HHH, Chyna and Shane celebrated HBK would not be seen again, save for some promotional apperances at the WWF NY and such untill joining the nWo in 2002 Steve

Here is one that I never knew how it got started, WTF was the deal with Savage not knowing who Diamond Dallas Page was during their feud in the early days of Savage in the nWo? Did Savage really butcher Page's name in a promo or something and they decided to make it an angle Or was it just another "Heel doesn't have a clue about non-main eventers" situation Steve