JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 I was watching Wrestlemania X today and then decided I would look online and dig up the article that made Vince change his mind and _not_ have Lex win the title from Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X (only to lose it to Bret in the last match of the night). I thought the people here might be interested to read it. ===================================================== GRAPPLERS ARE TATTLERS ABOUT WRESTLEMANIA We always wondered why athletes get stripped of their jobs/titles/houses/freedom if they: bet on games/take steroids/fix sporting events, while wrestlers get rich from all of the above right in front of everyone. Well, in the spirit of shocking, big breaking news we have to tell all of you obsessive fans who'll be attending this afternoon's Wreslemania competition at the Garden that we already know who's gonna win. We know this because about 12 of the bulked-up boys have been in town all week and several of them can't keep their traps shut. A huge contingent of them - including Bret Hart, Lex Luger, Stan Lane, Johnny Polo and Crush - plopped down for a few 32-ounce porterhouse steaks at Charlton's steak house Thursday night and our source caught it all. Turns out perennial good guy Luger will meet and beat perennial bad guy Yokozuna for the World Wrestling Federation championship title. But, we understand, Luger will only own the belt for about an hour. At that time Hart is supposed to climb into the ring and, with the help of guest referee Mr. Perfect, lay a big beating on Luger and be declared champion. But don't let us stop you from getting drunk in front of your children and cheering for your favorite actor, er, wrestler. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 Oh, and a few added points. The article obviously seems quite tabloidish so I would take it with a grain of salt, but it makes it sound like the plan was for Bret to win the title after a Perfect heel turn, which doesn't seem right at all...anyone want to clarify? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 And here's the follow up article that ran after Wrestlemania X: -------------------------------------- SWITCHEROO Just the other day, we reported the outcome of Wrestlemania X several hours before the huge pay-per-view event unfolded before a live Madison Square Garden audience. We told you that Lex Luger would defeat Yokozuna before losing the championship belt to Bret Hart. Long story short, we were right. The only thing is, Vince McMahon was not about to stage that scenario after we found it out and reported it. To make matters worse, obsessed World Wrestling Federation fans were milling around the lobby of the Doral Court Hotel and congratulating Hart a full 10 hours before he actually won. Our sources say that McMahon called a last-minute meeting to pull the old switcheroo. He stuck with keeping Hart as champion, but he had him fight Yokozuna instead of Luger. To follow up, he had his publicist - former NBC entertainment flack Curt Block - fax us a note that read in part, "[your reporting] proves once again that nothing is as exciting of unpredictable as the WWF." Yes, especially when good reporting and reliable sources blow the lid off carefully staged entertainment and force people to get very creative on the fly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Krazy Karter Report post Posted February 23, 2004 Perfect was a face until he went out injured in late-1993. Before Luger turned face he feuded with Perfect and the angle was never payed off. Luger would have played the heel at Mania by default. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 Perfect was a face until he went out injured in late-1993. Before Luger turned face he feuded with Perfect and the angle was never payed off. Luger would have played the heel at Mania by default. I guess I just always pictured it as Bret/Lex doing a face vs. face match with Bret somehow coming out on top despite the bad knee. Too bad that Perfect left after WM10, huh? But hey...what happened was way better than the original Luger vs. Ludvig Borga plan, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Astro Report post Posted February 23, 2004 or the Borga vs Earthquake match that was scrapped /shudders Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 23, 2004 U'd think Bret, in the presence of Luger would have said "SHUT UP". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iliketurtles 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2004 I don't get why Vince would of turned Bret heel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2004 I don't get why Vince would of turned Bret heel. No, I definitely don't think that was happening - everything was building to the Bret/Owen feud to be blown off at Summerslam. Still, it would have been interesting to see exactly how they booked that Bret/Lex match. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iliketurtles 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2004 Well from the looks of it, Perfect & Hart do a heel beatdown on Luger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Krazy Karter Report post Posted February 24, 2004 That's possible, but I honestly don't know. So how would Piper have figured in to the original booking? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2004 That's possible, but I honestly don't know. So how would Piper have figured in to the original booking? Probably would have reffed the match where Luger beat Yoko. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Betty Houle 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2004 Too bad that Perfect left after WM10, huh? I think I saw Perfect's last appearence before he left that time. I went to a TV taping shortly after WMX and Perfect was the guest on HBK's ill-fated "Heartbreak Hotel" show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Use Your Illusion 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2004 Things still turned out well enough for Luger. He walked into a very lucrative deal with Turner not all that much longer (1995) and clutched the coat-tails of Stinger as he rode into millionareville. UYI Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted February 25, 2004 What the hell is wrong with people liking "carefully staged entertainment?" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iliketurtles 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2004 What the hell is wrong with people liking "carefully staged entertainment?" You realize that's pretty much any movie or play, right? They just try to crack at Professional Wrestling every way by saying ignorant statements and slandering...and you can just turn it around at the critics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Human Fly 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2004 What was the plan with Ludvig Borga? I have heard a few things about how he was supposed to win the title but how was that supposed to play out? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2004 Yeah, the lady who wrote that stuff is pretty much a moron. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeDirt 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2004 What was the plan with Ludvig Borga? I have heard a few things about how he was supposed to win the title but how was that supposed to play out? According to some, the original plan was to have Taker beat Yoko for the title, then Borga win it from Taker somehow (I'm assuming on RAW, too), which would set up Luger/Borga at Wrestlemania. I'm pretty sure they scrapped that idea pretty quickly, though, and Borga ended up getting injured anyways. Maybe someone else can clarify. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Loss Report post Posted February 25, 2004 This sounds to me like Bret staying face and Perfect getting his WM revenge on Luger, setting up a feud there. I don't see why it had to necessitate a heel beatdown. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
