Raw Notes from Dave Meltzer

[Guest bob_barron]

About Goldberg's signing-

 

As Meltzer said on the LAW a couple weeks ago- why sign him for Wrestlemania- a show that's going to deliver a huge buyrate with or without him.

 

If they're going to sign him, which I'm against BTW, they should bring him in during a time that business is usually weak- like in the fall

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

I'd mark out if anyone got a cinder block dropped on them from that damn high. It'd be like a cartoon.

[Guest EricMM]

especially if they held up a little black umbrella as it was coming down and looked comically scared

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Why is everyone saying that it was just one kick?

He caused Bret 3 seperate bumps on his head that lead to his big concussion. He kicked him to hard, he forearmed him to hard, and he didn't protect Bret on the ring post figure four allowing Bret to fall on his head on the concrete.

Now that's some sloppy wrestling.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

It seems to me that there are a lot of WCW marks on this forum, that's why you see all these Goldberg loving posts , the only thing the WWE should do with Goldberg is make him job to Austin at Mania

1) Ummmm, most of the WCW marks are *against* signing Goldberg.

 

2) What's the point in bringing him in if you're just going to job him to Austin? Doesn't make much sense to pay the big $$$ on Goldy only to job him out.

[Guest Razor Roman]

I don't know how they'll pull off moving Rock to RAW.

 

Rock (Heel) aligned with Vince (Heel on Smackdown) on RAW where Vince is a Face.

 

Makes no sense and I don't see how it will work..

You see, Rock left for Hollywood, and re-negotiated his deal with Vince, so instead of working for Raw (Bischoff) or Smackdown (Stephanie), he works for Vince (WWE, the parent company of both brands). That's why he buried Austin on RAW, and Austin is going to get revenge for the burial. You see, the Rock left WWE to make money, Austin left WWE to wake the management up, that their product was sucking. Austin loved the WWE and it's fans so much he had to leave it. Rocky just has contempt and takes us all for idiots, so he followed the money.

 

Or at least that's how I'd explain it.

[Guest jester]

I don't think they'll bother to explain it at all.

[Guest godthedog]

Why is everyone saying that it was just one kick?

He caused Bret 3 seperate bumps on his head that lead to his big concussion. He kicked him to hard, he forearmed him to hard, and he didn't protect Bret on the ring post figure four allowing Bret to fall on his head on the concrete.

Now that's some sloppy wrestling.

it isn't just that. it's the fact that he continued to wrestle with the concussion. wrestlers get concussions all the time and live to fight another day. i'm sure bret's age also had something to do with it, but it wasn't that single match that did him in. when you get a concussion, you're highly susceptible to get more, and IIRC that's exactly what happened to him. he waited so long to get it checked out because he was afraid of being fired (for the 30 day clause in his contract), & i believe it was the sum total of those matches combined that irreparably fucked his head up. so blame wcw legal for ending bret hart's career.

[Guest B-X]

The Window incident went like this: There were two windows he punched on that limo. One was a faulty stunt glass, the other one was a legit glass window. He punched the stunt glass, then for some reason, punched the real glass, thinking it was another stunt glass.

[Guest Tony149]

The Window incident went like this: There were two windows he punched on that limo. One was a faulty stunt glass, the other one was a legit glass window. He punched the stunt glass, then for some reason, punched the real glass, thinking it was another stunt glass.

I don't think any of the windows were fake. Goldberg was supposed to break the windows with a lead pipe. He broke the first, then, for whatever reason, dropped the pipe and smashed the second window with his elbow which caused that huge cut.

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

In this battle royal.....

 

Kane gets eliminated and RVD jumps over the top onto him, eliminating himself to get to Kane.

 

Goldberg is the surprise entrant that they've been hyping the whole show around, so he tosses out a couple of guys.

 

the Christian/Jericho vs. HBK/Hardy storyline (that will no doubt end in a ladder match at WM for the tag titles) will continue by all of those guys fighting and eliminating each other

 

Booker and Steiner will both be eliminated after being distracted by Orton and Bautista

 

and finally as Austin and Rock try to eliminate each other, Goldberg dumps both for the win and the title shot.

 

so for the Raw side of Wrestlemania we have....

 

Booker & Steiner vs. Orton & Bautista

Christian & Jericho vs. Michaels & Hardy

Rob Van Dam vs. Kane

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Goldberg vs. Triple H

 

ill just go out on a limb and predict all of that...

[Guest Rob Van Dam]

don't forget the womens title

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Here is an update from Meltzer

 

"Tonight's show as of yesterday was to be headlined by a Battle Royal where the winner would face HHH for the title at Wrestlemania. Rock is scheduled to appear on the show and move to Raw permanently to explain his Wrestlemania program with Austin. Steve Austin is not billed as appearing on the show (he will be appearing on Raw next Monday from the Nassau Coliseum) although it would hardly shock anyone for him to be there. "

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I'm confused. The Rock is going to Raw, to start a program with Austin who isn't going to be there?

[Guest notJames]

Sure, because it worked so well in wCw.

 

See Bischoff v. McMahon, Jericho v. Goldberg

[Guest candie45]

Damn... a lot of people are gonna be pissed if Austin's not there.

[Guest Choken One]

That just makes Zero sense...People will have heard that Austin IS back and he kicked Bischoff's ass and that should propel the ratings from 3.9 to at least 4.2 and factor in the Post PPV rating's...If WWE hypes a HUGE Surprise...Has the rock...

 

The ratings could very well have gone up quite a bit but if you DON'T have Austin it won't make as much impact...

 

It's the over run that I will be VERY interested in seeing...

[Guest deadbeater]

Wait a minute, isn't Bischoff supposed to be fired for losing to Austin so badly?

[Guest tpww7]

No, Bischoff wasent suppose to get fired if he lost.

[Guest MixxMaster]

NO

It was a "condition of employment" ie: KEEPING his job to fight Austin. NOT winning...

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

In this battle royal.....

 

Kane gets eliminated and RVD jumps over the top onto him, eliminating himself to get to Kane.

 

Goldberg is the surprise entrant that they've been hyping the whole show around, so he tosses out a couple of guys.

 

the Christian/Jericho vs. HBK/Hardy storyline (that will no doubt end in a ladder match at WM for the tag titles) will continue by all of those guys fighting and eliminating each other

 

Booker and Steiner will both be eliminated after being distracted by Orton and Bautista

 

and finally as Austin and Rock try to eliminate each other, Goldberg dumps both for the win and the title shot.

 

so for the Raw side of Wrestlemania we have....

 

Booker & Steiner vs. Orton & Bautista

Christian & Jericho vs. Michaels & Hardy

Rob Van Dam vs. Kane

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Goldberg vs. Triple H

 

ill just go out on a limb and predict all of that...

scratch that, the preview on the raw site says Bautista & Orton vs. Booker & Steiner tonight. Maybe they will go more towards Bautista vs. Steiner or something and leave Booker to fight someone over a shampoo commercial again. Who fuckin knows or cares.

[Guest Gary Busey]

Here's the deal with Goldberg and the limo:

 

It was originally scripted to have Goldberg destroy the limo with a sledgehammer, but he didn't feel that fit in with his character. So he was going to break the real glass windows with his gloved hands.

 

Concealed in his glove was a small metal rod, which he held in his fist. If you go back and watch the tape, you see he busts the windows with the bottom of his fist, where the metal rod would hit. (Like your slamming your fist on a table top.)

 

He was supposed to break two windows. When he hit the first window, the metal rod fell out of his hand due to the impact. Instead of stopping, he continued and broke the other window with his gloved hand. When his arm went through, he sliced forearm deeply on the remaining glass.

 

Watch the tape: you can see the first window breaks really easily, because he has the metal rod hidden in his palm, but the second window takes three hits before it breaks.

 

He then screamed in rage (in character), looked at his arm, walked up to the front of the car and slammed both fists on the hood of the limo. I remember this because they showed the replay on the next Thunder (it was on News Years night), and when Goldberg slammed his fists on the hood, blood just sprayed EVERYWHERE. They showed it in black and white, because TBS couldn't show blood on wrestling, but it looked really bad.

 

He shouldn't have broken the second window.

 

Also, remember when Goldberg speared the ring post and knocked himself out? I forgot who he was wrestling, but they moved and he went between the ropes and slammed his head on the metal. They had a good angle of it, because he wasn't supposed to REALLY hit the post, and all I remember thinking was HOLY SHIT, THAT HAD TO HURT. He just crumpled down to the mat like dead weight. He wasn't out too long, but it was horrible.

 

Also, remember the story where Goldberg broke his forearm during a go kart race? It was for charity, and his car broke down in the middle of the race, so he started beating on the gearbox in frustration. He was slamming it so hard, he broke his arm. I remember that was around the time of 9/11, because there were pictures of him with wraps on stuff on his arm when he posted a "Get well" message to the citizens of New York. (He also had a thing on his site like: "In this time of tradegy, THE MAN is back!" like he could do anything to help anybody involved in the terrorist attack...)

 

Also, remember when he made a scene at a children's toy fair, cursing at HHH? He threatened to fight him, because HHH said that Goldberg was milking his arm injury, and sitting on his fat guaranteed contract in a radio interview.

 

Goldberg isn't a smart man, or a good wrestler, or a normal grown man who can control his temper, but he can get the crowd going.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

To those who said Goldberg is great on the mic and so forth, see if DDT Digest still has The Goldberg Promo up, in which he makes more homoerotic overtones than one would think is possible.

 

Yes it's there, at http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999092m.htm, and over at the sounds page are some other gems. Stevie Ray promising to get into Curt Hennig's BUTT still makes me laugh, I'm sorry.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Ahhh, DDTDigest, how I miss thee...

[Guest The Czech Republic]

"You took me from behind! I admire your skill, and I admire your size. But you better come out and we'll find out, one-on-one, who the MAN is! Your ass is next!"

[Guest iamsherm]

I don't know how they'll pull off moving Rock to RAW.

 

Rock (Heel) aligned with Vince (Heel on Smackdown) on RAW where Vince is a Face.

 

Makes no sense and I don't see how it will work..

You see, Rock left for Hollywood, and re-negotiated his deal with Vince, so instead of working for Raw (Bischoff) or Smackdown (Stephanie), he works for Vince (WWE, the parent company of both brands). That's why he buried Austin on RAW, and Austin is going to get revenge for the burial. You see, the Rock left WWE to make money, Austin left WWE to wake the management up, that their product was sucking. Austin loved the WWE and it's fans so much he had to leave it. Rocky just has contempt and takes us all for idiots, so he followed the money.

 

Or at least that's how I'd explain it.

God damn. That makes some sense. One question though. Is Vince just sending Rock to RAW simply to rid the WWE of Stone Cold Steve Austin (which wouldn't make sense, because why bring Austin back in the first place)? Or is Rock just doing whatever he pleases? They just need to explain that a little better because all it came off to me was Rock and Vince are tight, so Vince, in a sense, waived the Smackdown exclusive contract and let Rock go and do whatever he wanted.

 

I think a good way to get that point across would be to have JR do his sit down interviews with both Austin, Rock, or maybe even Vince between now and Wrestlemania. Yes, I realize Austin has spoken to RAW Magazine and WWE.com, but I think he needs to do it on TV.