WWE General Discussion for August 2007

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I was thinking about what happens on Smackdown after Summerslam, and assuming that Kahli beats Batista I dont really think they can do another Kahli/Batista match so I was trying to come up with who Kahli would face and all I could think of was Rey Mysterio. The only other credible opponent would be Mark Henry but he's facing Taker at Unforgiven next month. Rey wouldnt really be that credible either but there'd be the whole David vs Golaith angle and a nice side match til we see Taker/Kahli around Survivor Series time.

 

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

At this point, never underestimate their ability to put Batista in another title match.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I was thinking about what happens on Smackdown after Summerslam, and assuming that Kahli beats Batista I dont really think they can do another Kahli/Batista match

 

I'd like to see them do The Punjabi Prison match again, while the first time wasn't a classic and neither will an re-attempt, the structure was just so awesome to see.

 

 

[Lil' Bitch 0]

If anyone read Hardcore Diaries, what was the huge contravesy about?

 

The huge controversy was that there was no huge controversy!

[Enigma 0]

JURY TRIAL SET IN LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGED ASSAULT AND BATTERY COMMITTED BY WWE STAR

 

A jury trial has been set for November 4, 2008 in the civil lawsuit filed against World Wrestling Entertainment and current WWE Superstar The Sandman (real name Jim Fullington) by wrestling fan Karlene Boutwell, who alleges that Sandman committed assault and battery on her during his ring entrance from the crowd on the August 8, 2006 live episode of ECW on Sci Fi in Nashville, TN. Each side is slated to provide witness lists and all materials pertaining to their case by October 28, 2008.

 

Boutwell is seeking $100,000 in damages in her suit, which claims that Sandman, "while bleeding from a self-imposed wound to his head, grabbed her, picked her up, and threw her, not only injuring her back and aggravating pre-existing injuries, but also exposing her to blood and humiliating her."

 

World Wrestling Entertainment has denied all claims and provided footage of Sandman's entrance to Boutwell in an attempt to get her to drop the lawsuit. Sandman made his traditional entrance through the crowd on the live broadcast during an angle where he rescued a beaten Tommy Dreamer from Paul Heyman and his riot guards. The Sandman's entrance from that event is still online on WWE.com at this link, so if you want to see the footage for yourself, feel free. It does not appear that Sandman had any physical altercation with any fans.

 

Boutwell filed the lawsuit this past April. WWE has claimed that they would not be liable for any "attack" since Sandman is an independent contractor for the company, not an employee.

[mysterious_w 0]

I saw the footage months back when this news story first broke, I'm surprised it's gone to trial.

[Jingus 0]

So, the footage clearly shows that he never even touched the bitch in question, right? Why wouldn't a judge throw it out instantly?

[cabbageboy 0]

I'm assuming that doing a Punjabi Prison match is how they will get the belt off Khali. They should have considered it for SS since it's a bigger PPV, but I guess doing something like that for Unforgiven or No Mercy would maybe add to the buyrate of a lesser PPV.

 

I have zero interest in Khali/Rey. Hell, Khali squashed Rey last year when Rey had the title. Who would want to see it now?

[Atticus Chaos 0]

When the storyline about Mr McMahon's illegitimate child was proposed the plan was for Ken Kennedy to be revealed as the long-lost son. In fact, the idea stems back to the 'death' of Mr McMahon. One version of events would have seen Shane and Stephanie shocked to find out that their father had left his entire estate to Kennedy, which would have tied into Kennedy having been revealed as the 'murderer', only for Vince to return later and reveal the two were in cahoots all along. Obviously things have changed a great deal in recent weeks, so WWE may well be taking things in a different direction after all. Still, this has been vaguely in the works ever since Dave Lagana pitched the idea in 2006. He wanted to get Vince onto Smackdown whilst giving Kennedy a huge boost, only for King Booker to be made into the brand's top heel as Kennedy's major push was postponed.

 

wrestling observer newsletter

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

That doesn't sound bad at all, I would have enjoyed watching that.

[haVoc 0]

JURY TRIAL SET IN LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGED ASSAULT AND BATTERY COMMITTED BY WWE STAR

 

WWE has claimed that they would not be liable for any "attack" since Sandman is an independent contractor for the company, not an employee.

 

Douche bags.

 

[Atticus Chaos 0]

Undertaker will be facing a slew of large opponents when he returns to the ring this fall.

 

He's scheduled to make his return at the Unforgiven ppv. He will be facing Mark Henry. Taker will probably be the one to put Henry out of action for good in the storylines as Henry is likely finishing up with WWE when his contract expires in a few weeks.

 

In a return feud from about 12 years ago, Undertaker will be facing Big Daddy V. Plans have been made to build Big Daddy up as a monster in ECW, then move him to smackdown in the fall to feud with the top babyface talent- including the Undertaker.

 

Taker is also scheduled to feud with Khali again.

 

f4wonline

[Mike wanna be 0]

Henry must have turned bionic; I was sure they'd never get rid of him as long as he had something to injure/rehab from.

[The Buzz 0]

Henry has to be the most protected guy in the companies history to never draw money, hell he's even being pushed on his way out.

[Hawk 34 0]

Henry has to be the most protected guy in the companies history to never draw money, hell he's even being pushed on his way out.

 

That is essentially the same thing Nash did on his way out.

[Perfection 0]

In a return feud from about 12 years ago, Undertaker will be facing Big Daddy V. Plans have been made to build Big Daddy up as a monster in ECW, then move him to smackdown in the fall to feud with the top babyface talent- including the Undertaker.

 

 

f4wonline

 

 

Oh boy... : :bonk:

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Will V crush Taker's face again, bringing back that strange mask Taker had in late 95-Royal Rumble 96 when Bret Hart ripped it off?

[Vern Gagne 0]

This is what the Undertaker came back for. A feud with Big V.

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

I still remember being so crushed as a kid when Mabel pinned the Undertaker in the first round of the 1995 KOTR tournament.

[Enigma 0]

I remember that.

 

I think that was only the second time ever he had been pinned on a televised event in nearly 5 years.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Henry must have turned bionic; I was sure they'd never get rid of him as long as he had something to injure/rehab from.

 

I guess this has to do with his interview he gave for the reasons why he doesn't ride with anyone on the road.

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

I remember that.

 

I think that was only the second time ever he had been pinned on a televised event in nearly 5 years.

 

Yea I was shocked. The only person I remember seeing pin the Undertaker prior to that was Hulk Hogan. The WWF just really screwed that 1995 tournament up bad. It was pretty clear that HBK, Undertaker, and Razor (before he got injured) should've been semi-finalists. However, it was also clear HBK and Undertaker wouldn't both make the next round because face vs. face/heel vs. heel stuff wasn't in vogue then.

 

I was also pissed that Bob Holly lost to the Roadie. I was a mark for "race car" Bob Holly and I don't really know why. I remember marking out when he was Intercontinental champ for like 5 minutes on the Action Zone before Tunney voided the title change and marking out again when he beat Mantaur in the qualifying match on Monday Night Raw (simply because as a kid I thought Mantaur was some unbeatable guy).

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Henry must have turned bionic; I was sure they'd never get rid of him as long as he had something to injure/rehab from.

 

I guess this has to do with his interview he gave for the reasons why he doesn't ride with anyone on the road.

That interview actually made me like the guy. I'd love to see him squash Taker, but...yeah.

[Broward83 0]

Henry must have turned bionic; I was sure they'd never get rid of him as long as he had something to injure/rehab from.

 

I guess this has to do with his interview he gave for the reasons why he doesn't ride with anyone on the road.

That interview actually made me like the guy. I'd love to see him squash Taker, but...yeah.

 

 

Link?

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

It was in the Benoit thread. No link, but here's the text:

Keeping it real

Wrestler tired of drugs and their effect on his peers, his sport.

 

By John Maher

AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Saturday, July 14, 2007

 

Professional wrestler Mark Henry, all 390 pounds of him, is used to drawing stares. Even people who haven't seen him perform at an arena or on television can't help but notice his vending-machine build or the Hummer he drives, the one he received for winning a 2002 strongman competition promoted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

Lately, though, Henry said, "I've been getting dirty looks from people. I was talking to this guy at the airport and he said, 'You guys are all getting exposed.' When people make generalizations about me they're usually wrong. I don't do drugs. I'm not some animal. I'm not some Neanderthal."

 

Laura Skelding

AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

 

Family man: Pro wrestler Mark Henry (with his wife, Jana Perry-Henry, and their son Jacob, 21 months) says he sticks to himself to avoid being linked to drug users.

 

Laura Skelding

AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

 

Mark Henry, with son Jacob, says he will never forget the death of fellow wrestler Chris Benoit and Benoit's family last month. 'The thing is, no one saw it coming,' Henry said. 'This is never going to leave me. I'll be on my deathbed and still thinking about it.'

 

 

Henry is dealing with the shock and grief stemming from the recent death of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, whom police said killed his wife and 7-year-old son before committing suicide in the family's Georgia home. In the wake of the tragedy, wrestling's excesses, including steroid use, are again coming under fire from critics, some of whom have called for a Congressional investigation of the business.

 

The 36-year-old Henry, an Austin resident who's been a wrestler for more than a decade, also has to grapple with trying to lead a normal life in a surreal world.

 

"The travel alone would kill most people. We might do 250 shows a year," he said.

 

Henry doesn't ride with other wrestlers to any World Wrestling Entertainment matches. A husband and father of a 21-month-old son, Henry said one reason he drives solo is for safety, that he has less chance of getting in an accident that might cause an injury that could affect his career. The other reason, he said, is that he doesn't want to be in a car if recreational or performance-enhancing drugs belonging to another wrestler are discovered by law enforcement officials.

 

"If they get caught, then I'd be (considered) guilty, too. If we get pulled over we're both going down," Henry said.

 

Henry said of the 75 wrestlers he works with, he's close friends with maybe five or six. He said that's pretty typical in the business, because wrestlers are independent contractors.

 

One of the reasons Henry, a two-time Olympic weightlifter, is still in wrestling is Benoit.

 

At a show 31/2 years ago, Benoit slapped a cross-face hold on Henry and dislocated Henry's already injured shoulder, knocking him out of action and raising his doubts about whether to continue in his line of work.

 

"Chris Benoit is the one who kept me going. He's the one who would call and say, 'You have to come back.' He didn't have to do that," Henry said.

 

Henry was at a WWE event in Beaumont on Saturday, June 24, when Benoit didn't show. "Then, when he didn't show up for the pay-per-view-event in Houston," Henry said, "we're thinking, 'Darn, he never misses a show.' "

 

On Monday, June 26, the WWE live event in Corpus Christi was canceled because of the Benoit family deaths, but at that time Henry said the wrestlers thought the killings might have been the result of a home invasion.

 

Authorities, however, said Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, before hanging himself from a pulley on a weight machine.

 

"How he did what he did ... ," Henry said, shaking his head. "We were torn up. The thing is, no one saw it coming. This is never going to leave me. I'll be on my deathbed and still thinking about it."

 

A longtime, vocal critic of steroid use

 

Authorities said they found anabolic steroids at Benoit's home, and Benoit's doctor, Phil Astin, has since been charged with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs.

 

World Wrestling Entertainment was quick to issue a statement that said "roid rage" was not a factor in the deaths.

 

"WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time to the motive for these acts," the statement read.

 

Henry has long been vocal about the problems tied to steroids.

 

Growing up in Silsbee, he was a weightlifting prodigy as a teenager and has long had an extraordinary build.

 

The 6-foot-3-inch Henry has a 24-inch neck and biceps, and his ring size is 18. He has set powerlifting records and also represented the United States in weightlifting at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.

 

"My whole life I competed against people who used steroids," said Henry, who as an Olympian was subject to frequent drug testing, including nine tests in 1995 alone.

 

He's still chafed about an "HBO Real Sports" segment he did in 1996 because he contends host Bryant Gumbel made him sound like a crybaby for bringing up the performance-enhancing drug use of other weightlifters.

 

Henry now points to the steroid scandals that have hit some Olympic sports and Major League Baseball as evidence he knew what he was talking about back then.

 

As much as he has spoken out against steroid use, Henry didn't point to 'roid rage as a simple answer for the Benoit deaths.

 

"Steroids may contribute, but there are bodybuilders who have taken a lot more," Henry said.

 

Painkillers also are abused by some wrestlers and have sometimes been linked to their deaths. Bobby Duncum, a former University of Texas football player and a wrestler, died in 2000 at age 34 after overdosing on a painkiller while attempting to cope with injuries.

 

Henry has not been immune from injury despite his size. Probably his most serious wrestling injury happened last July when, in a six-man tag team event, he tore his patella tendon and split his kneecap in two.

 

After surgery Henry did not wrestle in another WWE bout until May, but he said that painkillers don't have to become a part of performing.

 

"It's just sucking it up and going," Henry said.

 

Although he once wrestled as Sexual Chocolate, Henry's weakness is barbecue.

 

When he can, he likes to go to Lockhart or Taylor for brisket and sausage.

 

Henry, who has studied acting and would like to have a career in that field when he's done wrestling, is also big on martial arts films.

 

As for fame, he said the weirdest thing is that strangers will just walk up and punch him in the ribs or slap him on the chest — hard — as if they are some kind of long-lost friend.

 

"I'm not some big, jovial fat guy," Henry warned. "Don't hit me."

[tekcop 0]

I was at that show Sandman's getting sued over. We watched him for the vast majority of his entrance after we first saw him in the crowd. I never noticed anything.

[cabbageboy 0]

I've always had a deep fear that WWE still somehow thought fucking Mabel was a potential main event guy. I guess since there was enough kinda decent stuff on SS 95 for it not to have the lowest buyrate ever that Vince thinks Big Daddy V might actually draw.

 

Nevermind Mark Henry. He's at least been entertaining at times with his humiliating gimmicks. But can anyone possibly explain how MABEL of all people could still be employed in mainstream wrestling in the year 2007?

[Epic Reine 0]

So after all this, we'll never get a blow off to the Batista/Henry fued.

[Enigma 0]

Is it just me, or is it incredibly fucking weird to be saying "The Sandman, WWE Superstar" in 2007?

 

If you had told me in 1997 that in 10 years, Sandman would have a tag match on Monday Night Raw with Jim Duggan vs. Lord Steven Regal and Carlos Colon's kid, I would have said you were insane.

[luke-o 0]

JURY TRIAL SET IN LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGED ASSAULT AND BATTERY COMMITTED BY WWE STAR

 

A jury trial has been set for November 4, 2008 in the civil lawsuit filed against World Wrestling Entertainment and current WWE Superstar The Sandman (real name Jim Fullington) by wrestling fan Karlene Boutwell, who alleges that Sandman committed assault and battery on her during his ring entrance from the crowd on the August 8, 2006 live episode of ECW on Sci Fi in Nashville, TN. Each side is slated to provide witness lists and all materials pertaining to their case by October 28, 2008.

 

Boutwell is seeking $100,000 in damages in her suit, which claims that Sandman, "while bleeding from a self-imposed wound to his head, grabbed her, picked her up, and threw her, not only injuring her back and aggravating pre-existing injuries, but also exposing her to blood and humiliating her."

 

World Wrestling Entertainment has denied all claims and provided footage of Sandman's entrance to Boutwell in an attempt to get her to drop the lawsuit. Sandman made his traditional entrance through the crowd on the live broadcast during an angle where he rescued a beaten Tommy Dreamer from Paul Heyman and his riot guards. The Sandman's entrance from that event is still online on WWE.com at this link, so if you want to see the footage for yourself, feel free. It does not appear that Sandman had any physical altercation with any fans.

 

Boutwell filed the lawsuit this past April. WWE has claimed that they would not be liable for any "attack" since Sandman is an independent contractor for the company, not an employee.

 

how did this go to trial?!