March 31, 2014 Live from Washington, D.C. Your hosts are JBL, Jerry Lawler, and Michael Cole

When last we left our heroes, they were reaching a crescendo. Everything is peaking at just the right time. There's one show to go before WrestleMania; just three more hours before we know all of where we stand. Some will be the warmup, some will main event, but all will give their last to make a last impression. Enough talk. Let's get to it. Live from Washington, DC – my town! Your hosts have not changed since I began this gig and they're not about to now.

Howdy Blog O'Doomers! Reading a previous thread and a few Wrestlemania based threads my video above has me wondering: "Did you have to be there to appreciate the magnitude of Andre-Hogan?" It was 27 years ago and much like my dad used to tell me I could never appreciate all the big names that came through Florida without being there to witness I wonder if I'm at the same point with Andre and Hogan. Andre and Hogan was the biggest wrestling match in its time, I still it was the biggest match in WWF history. Probably the biggest wrestling match in the history of this side of the pond. Hogan and Andre were the two big pro wrestling names that mainstream media actually acknowledged. But it was a long time ago and a lot of fans only know Hollywood Hogan and I guess the WWE has to recognize that when they do these lists. Anyway is Andre-Hogan one of those wrestling events that you really had to be alive to fully appreciate? The match wasn't great by any extent. ...

Ray. People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. "Of course, we won't mind if you look around", you'll say, "It's only $20 per person". They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it:for it is money they have and peace they lack.  And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray.  The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has ro...

Hey Scott; Why do you suppose it is that in the build for Brock/Taker there's been no mention of the brief encounter between the 2 after Brock's loss at UFC 121? I understand that the footage isn't their's to use (though I just listened to an interview with Ariel where he said he'd happily open that door for them) but I mean not even a mention by Heyman or have Cole at least bring it up. Whether you think it was legit or a work, it would still give the feud a feel of realism since it took place outside the WWE umbrella and could show that this has been building for a long time. My only thought is that they don't like it as it shows UT out of character and even if they don't use the footage, they don't want people going and looking for it on YouTube.  But that seems like a small issue to potentially add to what has been a pretty boring build. Thoughts? I think that out of all the issues with the feud and buildup, that is the least of them.  ...

OK, let's talk about this now, shall we? - Austin v. Michaels at #1...no way.  Hogan slamming Andre is clearly #1, not only on a list of WM moments but of moments in wrestling history all-time. - John Cena v. Rock II at #7 or whatever it was can suck my ass. - Hogan-Rock should have been higher still.  70,000 people losing their minds and jumping up and down like little kids at least warrants #3. - I kind of liked the contrast of Shawn's career ending, followed immediately by Flair's career ending. - The Savage-Liz reunion is insultingly low. They sure do love them some Shawn Michaels, don't they?

WWE.com RAW Preview http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2014-03-31/five-point-preview-26217016 WWE Network to Air Live "Legends of Wrestling" Roundtable On Friday April 4th at 10pm EST, the network will air the show live featuring "WrestleMania Legends" discussing their memories of the event. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Prince Devitt Leaving New Japan for the WWE? Devitt, who is reported to have a standing contract offer with the WWE, is being booked in a "Loser Leaves New Japan" match this coming weekend against Ryusuke Taguchi. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com

The live stream schedule for today: 9:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 8/9/93 - Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes; Lex Luger-Yokozuna contract signing. 10:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 8/15/93 - The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Ted DiBiase; Marty Jannetty vs. Bastion Booger. 11:00 AM ET - Hell In A Cell 2012 - 10/27/12 - Ryback vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship. 2:00 PM ET - Best of Smackdown - 8/8/02 - Hulk Hogan vs. Brock Lesnar. 3:30 PM ET - WWE Superstars - 3/27/14 - R-Truth/Xavier Woods vs. 3MB; Emma vs. Summer Rae. 4:30 PM ET - WCW Bash at the Beach - 7/6/96 - Randy Savage/Lex Luger/Sting vs. The Outsiders and a "mystery partner". 7:30 PM ET - RAW Pre-Show. 8:00 PM ET - Beyond the Ring - Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come. 10:00 PM ET - Legends of Wrestling - 2/28/10 - Tag team wrestling. 11:06 PM ET - RAW Backstage Pass. 11:30 PM ET - Beyond the Ring - Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come. Recommended viewing: Seeing as how one of the more recent Best of RAW's was the Test/Stephanie wedding, see how ...

Scott,   McMahon legitimately ripping Jarrett on March 26, 2001 Raw looks petty in hindsight, but wasn't McMahon correct to do so? Jarrett disrespected his family and his family business. I'm not really following your logic there.  

Hiya Scott; Can I get another plug for my WWE Week in Review, Theater of the Absurd? Last time there was one guy who liked it. Thanks again and hope all's well in your neck of the woods. http://therec-room.com/theater-of-the-absurd-the-wwe-week-in-review-32414-32814/ Indeed, I am a benevolent dictator.  

Scott Years long reader, first time writer. This was shared in a thread on the blog and is quite an interesting (and very long read) - it's a guy who's ranked every single WM match. http://www.buzzfeed.com/miketchin/ranking-every-wrestlemania-match-ever-ipcp I'd be intrigued as to what the blog collective might have to say. Cheers I would start with "Get A Life."  And really, after the first 50 or so, is there REALLY any point in distinguishing between them?  

Game: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Platform: Xbox One (among others) Players: Upto 24 online, 4 player split-screen, too.   The phenomenally successful Plants Vs. Zombies is a game I avoided until a girl I was dating withheld sex from me until I played it. It was pretty good. The game wasn’t bad either. Plants Vs. Zombies has a weird charm to it. With each advancing horde of the undead, you’d frantically try to upgrade the right plants, and stem the onslaught anyway you can. Particular credit goes to the A/V design - the moaning of the zombies and various plant sound effects created a unique multilayered and off-kilter soundtrack without any music to speak of, and the cartoon graphics presented a ribald charm that felt right at home with the most idiosyncratic of the Nickelodeon Nicktoon classics.

OK, so I caved and got this one, and my god, it was 100x better than it had any right to be.  It didn't take itself seriously at all, the mystery aspect was actually pretty solid, and it was funny!  Sin Cara's interpretive dance routine (with translation from John Cena) describing the epic fight between SIN CARA GRANDE and a giant bear might have been the highlight, but Miz getting repeatedly humiliated was also great.  Also, the total insanity of someone trying to stop Wrestlemania by turning out the lights and then the whole thing turning into a giant trainwreck (It's now a cage match!)  which was apparently NOT a failure.  Not to mention the entire concept of WWE City, complete with its own code of laws (apparently anyone accused of any crime can fight Kane with no training to prove their innocence).  Even the Scooby aspects were well done (pointing out that they all wear the same clothes, Shaggy and Scooby raging against their constant role as trap bait -- "The hai...

Can you feel it? I said, can you feeeeeeeel it? "Wrestlemania XXX" is a week away - and The 'Ottie Awards' are only 6 days away, so lets talk about waiting. What wrestling events, movie, game, show, album, or event were you the most hyped for - EVER?   What do you remember waiting for 'most' as a kid, or even adult - did it live up to the hype, or let you down?  

Hello from your friends at @Wrestling617! A thought while watching Bo Dallas wrap up his NXT run. Could we see him bring the Bo-lievers gimmick up with him and have it (intentionally) fail miserably... Only to see him 'saved' by brother Bray and make Bo Wyatt the 4th man? Would also set up a new 'leader' if the time ever comes to turn Bray face. I'm not opposed to adding him to the Wyatt Family as the screwup brother of Bray so they have someone to take the bullet, but the Bo-Lievers deal just comes across as so minor-league and dated without the context of the Full Sail crowd.  Plus I really don't think Bo is ready for prime time yet, and not just in the intentional comedy way.  They already have enough clowns in the midcard and I just don't see the spot for Bo.   But yeah, bringing him in as the spotlight-hogging younger brother might be something they could make work.  

The live stream schedule for today: 11:00 AM ET - WCCW - 2/26/83 - Von Erichs vs. Freebirds in a Lumberjack Match; Magic Dragon vs. King Kong Bundy. 12:00 PM ET - WCCW - 3/7/83 - David Von Erich vs. Jimmy Garvin for the Texas title; Iceman King Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts. 1:00 PM ET - Wrestlemania XXVIII - 4/1/12 - The Rock vs. John Cena - ONCE in a lifetime; The Undertaker vs Triple H - Hell in a Cell Match. 5:00 PM ET - WWE Superstars - 3/27/14 - R-Truth/Xavier Woods vs. 3MB; Emma vs. Summer Rae. 6:00 PM ET - WWE Main Event Replay - 3/25/14 - Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler - IC Title #1 Contender Triple Threat Match. 7:00 PM ET - WWE NXT - 3/27/14 - Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas - NXT Championship. 8:00 PM ET - Wrestlemania XXIX - 4/7/13 - The Rock vs. John Cena - TWICE in a lifetime. Recommended viewing: Battle Bowl '93. Just for curiosity's sake. Not a great show, really. But the concept was different, and it gave us the team of Ric Flair and Steve Au...

Scott, Random question. Back in 1991, after Earthquake injured Andre on television, were there ever any real plans for The Giant to work a program with Quake, or was Andre way too beat up at that time? If it was the latter, what was the reason for the attack in the first place, knowing that there would be no eventual blow-off to the feud? Thanks. I think it was just a plot device to explain Andre walking around with a crutch after that.  He couldn't even work WM6 and that's why Haku did the whole match against Demolition alone.  

Useless Trivia Question: Can you think of a PPV where ALL the heels or faces won?  I'm 99% sure there's one where all the faces won (I wanna say Summerslam 91) but not sure if anyone ever had the balls to put all heels over.  Something from the nWo era perhaps?

Shield Update The reason that Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins have been teaming up in tag action as opposed to Rollins & Roman Reigns is that they are setting up the other two to turn on Reigns in the future. Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter Shane McMahon to be Involved in WrestleMania? There is a feeling that Shane will be involved with the show backstage. However, they do not expect him to be appearing on-camera. Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter RVD Update There is now talk that RVD might make his return as a surprise entrant in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania. Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter Andre The Giant Battle Royal News It is expected that the winner of the battle royal will be carrying around a miniaturized Andre the Giant trophy for a "while" after the victory. Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter

As promised, a look into nostalgia heaven for me: the late 80s and early 90s are my favorite wrestling time, and so... The PG Era Rant for WWF on MSG Network, June 3, 1991. From New York City. Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, and Jim Neidhart. As commentary goes, Anvil doesn't really add much, but he doesn't detract either. He's a clear third wheel, there to stir the pot.

ECW Heatwave 1998 won the poll for the PPV and you guys can start that at 8pm Talk about anything else going on tonight in this thread. Also, the Jesse Ventura shoot won the poll and will be reviewed in Thursday

What with Batista being pretty well universally panned right now, I was thinking about when he wasn't.  In 05 when he caught fire, how did that come about?  Was it a gradual thing and I'm just not remembering it correctly?  I distinctly remember it going, one week he was "Batista: Evolution's Heavy.", and the next week he was "Batista: Super babyface, WrestleMania Main Eventer."  Am I remembering it wrong? Thanks, Steve Stevens Wait, Steve Stevens the guitarist?  You were awesome on "Rebel Yell"! Anyway, yes, you're remembering it wrong.   Dave did a slow burn where Flair and Hunter would be talking shit behind his back and Dave would happen to hear them, thus creating dramatic tension because the audience had info that the heels didn't.  It created exactly the organic babyface turn that Orton should have been.  In particular I remember being really hyped to see Dave win the title in the Chamber when it was vacated there at the en...

Hey Scott, This is SteveOB, minimal commenter, on the blog. First, I need to request a plug for mine and my friends Springsteen blog, www.legendsofspringsteen.com .   You've plugged for us before, and we greatly appreciate it.  If you, or anyone else here are going to any of Springsteen's upcoming shows let us know. We'd love to hear from you. Secondly, I have been watching a lot of early 90's WCW ppvs on the network. The pre-Hogan stuff is pretty great with Flair, Sting, The Steiners and Pillman. But man once Hogan and the Dungeon of Doom hits things turn awful. My question though is:  Why Kevin Sullivan?   It seems all the other heels were proven WCW draws (Flair, Vader, Luger) or guys Hogan brought in to work with (Earthquake, Kamala, Beefcake).  Sullivan was never a WCW main eventer, and as far as I know wasn't one of Hogan's guys. He doesn't have a good look (a short, chubby, balding man from Boston) and isn't very good on the mic, but get...

We were talking about it in another thread and I thought it might make for good discussion...What are some of your favorite/best Raw, Nitro, or ECW, tv episodes? 97 WWF and Nitros had some great ones.  A personal favorite is the Raw where they essentially reset everything after the Invasion, and bring in Flair as co-owner. Discuss.

Scott, Take a wee look at this BBC produced hour long documentary on a small promotion in Scotland called ICW. They book the usual Indie guys like Colt Cabana, Sabu, Rhyno, DeVitt and run 1000+ sell out shows in Glasgow & Edinburgh. This show aired on British national TV and drew over a million viewers on the night, more on iPlayer views later. It's a nice positive show about wrestling, a change from the usual. Thought it might interest the blog readers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-Rj_saAB4 Keep up the good work!

Random question but after watching the six-man tag from Wrestlemania X-7 (Tazz/APA vs Right To Censor) I got thinking: were there ever any major plans for Tazz in WWE? He came in and took Angle's undefeated streak but then I don't recall it getting better than that for him... did they just bring him in as he was ECW's top guy? Keep up the good work! Yeah, that was pretty much it.  They never had any solid plans for him and I don't think they realized how much smaller he came off on TV when he wasn't protected by Heyman's booking.  Honestly he was nearly at the end of his in-ring career anyway so it's not like there was some unlimited ceiling on his potential at that point.  

Thunder Date: November 5, 1998 Location: Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall Reviewed by Tommy Hall World War 3 is a few corners away and things aren't all that interesting at the moment. Monday wasn't the best show in the world but it was nice to have a breather from the Hogan vs. Warrior nonsense. Bret vs. Luger seems to be building up soon but we still have to deal with all the people Bret has injured recently. Let's get to it.

The SK RAW Rant for March 26, 2001 surreal adj 1: characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions; "a great concourse of phantasmagoric shadows"- J.C.Powys; "the incongruous imagery in surreal art and literature"; " [syn: phantasmagoric, phantasmagorical, surrealistic] 2: resembling a dream; "night invested the lake with a dreamlike quality"; "as irrational and surreal as a dream" [syn: dreamlike] 3: vince mcmahon on wcw nitro - Live from the Twilight Zone, Ohio. - Your hosts are Jim “Rod Serling” Ross and Paul Heyman (Niceshot)  (Well that’s a tad dated now. ) - Am I stoked for tonight? Does a pope shit in the woods? All that stuff about the WWF’s overall staleness? Forget it, THE SHIT IS ON.  (Yeah, for now.  Wait until they fuck it up and then I have to do a million blog threads about it.) 

The live stream schedule for today: 10:00 AM ET - WWE NXT - 3/27/14 - Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas - NXT Championship. 11:00 AM ET - WWE Countdown - Top Ten Biggest Blunders. 12:00 PM ET - Wrestlemania Rewind - Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart and Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X. 1:00 PM ET - Best of Smackdown - 8/7/02 - Hulk Hogan vs. Brock Lesnar. 2:30 PM ET - This Week in WWE - Weekly recap of current events. 3:00 PM ET - Royal Rumble 2014 - 1/26/14 - Batista returns; John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar. 6:00 PM ET - Best of Smackdown - 8/7/02 - Hulk Hogan vs. Brock Lesnar. 7:30 PM ET - Smackdown Backstage Pass - 3/28/14. 8:00 PM ET - Beyond the Ring - Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come. 10:00 PM ET - Wrestlemania Rewind - Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart and Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X. 11:00 PM ET - Beyond the Ring - Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come. Also, look for the usual Saturday night/Sunday morning ECW Hardcore TV marathon beginning at 2:0...

Was out of wrestling for the back half of the 00s. When I left Undertaker was viewed by a lot of people as an old waste, putting on poor matches in main events regularly.  When did this turn for most? When he started watching MMA and giving a shit again.  I think the Batista match was the real turnaround for me, where it seemed like it was going to be a disaster and ended up stealing the show.  

http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/30-best-wrestlemania-matches I personally agree with number one but I can see how numbers one through four could alternate depending on what you want to watch that day. Your thoughts? And what's with Meltzer not giving number one ***** MikeyMike I can see the argument for #1 and I think I've voted for it on occasion myself, but I think Bret-Austin is more clearly the greatest ever for, you know, completely altering the history of the business forever and stuff.   And Meltzer hasn't had a North American ***** match since Hart-Austin (or it might have been HITC 1, same year either way), so I'm not surprised he didn't.  He's just REALLY making sure that the eventual recipient earns that fifth one.  

Smackdown Date: March 28, 2014 Location: TD Bank North Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's the last regular Smackdown before they head to the Crescent City. The main stories are all set at this point so this show is just going to be about firming up the plans for Wrestlemania. The only match announced for tonight is Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt which should be a good win for the monster. That would be the monster with hair in case that's not clear. Let's get to it.

A little late, but have at it.

What up BODyDonnas! Today's question comes from Joe! "Brian (Bayless)'s exhaustive summary of WCW 1998 has just moved past Havoc. Despite their many flaws, didn't the WCW callers/production team just absolutely nail that main event? They made it feel like a tactical match-up, free of any silly plot shenanigans. To my mind, it's the best-called match I've ever witnessed. I guess that's why I hate WCW; for what it could have been. That said, my other most memorable call is King of the Ring for utterly different reasons. It was so clearly ridiculously insane and JR/King just went with it. What do you think is the best called match or matches from mainstream rasslin?

January 11 th , 1986 Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon Tonight, the Junkyard Dog will team up with George “The Animal” Steele. Also in action are Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga, Terry Funk, King Kong Bundy, and Don Muraco. Also, Roddy Piper will be here to host “Piper’s Pit.

http://www.casinoanswers.com/ sports-betting/wrestling/bet- on-wrestlemania-30.php There's all the Mania 30 betting odds and options thus far for the blog otters to discuss --  Let's stop trying to make blog otters a thing.  

With a lot of ECW talk on the blog, I thought I would include three ECW shows to watch. Barely Legal 1997 Heatwave 1998 Hardcore Heaven 2000 Vote by clicking on the link below. Voting ends tomorrow at 7pm http://poll.pollcode.com/58753866

Thought this was interesting and would spark some convo on the blog. The Summerslam 91 paysheet was released due to Warrior's lawsuit regarding the dvd WWE produced about him.  http://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-10-surprising-revelations-from-the-1991-summerslam-payroll-sheet.php As soon as I heard about this one I thought "Ah, Mookieghana must have done it", but it's someone else working off of a document provided by him.  Still, WOW.  I'm such a nerd for this sort of thing and it's awesome to be able to get some hard numbers even if it's decades out of date.  Great stuff.  

The live stream schedule for today: 9:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 8/2/93 - Randy Savage vs. Doink 10:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 8/9/93 - Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes; Lex Luger/Yokozuna contract signing 11:00 AM ET - WCCW - 12/2/82 - Kerry Von Erich/Brian Adias vs. Magic Dragon/Checkmate; Al Madril vs. Great Kabuki 12:00 PM ET - WCCW - 3/18/83 - Kerry & Kevin Von Erich vs. Freebirds (Texas Tornado Match); Jose Lothario vs. Jimmy Garvin 1:00 PM ET - WWE NXT - 3/27/14 - Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas - NXT Championship 2:00 PM ET - Night of Champions 2012 - 9/16/12 - CM Punk vs. John Cena - WWE Championship 5:00 PM ET - Beyond the Ring - For All Mankind (Mick Foley doc) 7:30 PM ET - Smackdown Pre-Show 8:00 PM ET - Legends of Wrestling - 3/1/08 - Wrestlemania 9:00 PM ET - Old School - 3/17/75 - MSG - Bruno Sammartino vs. Spiros Arion - WWF Championship 10:00 PM ET - Smackdown Backstage Pass 10:30 PM ET - ECW Hardcore TV - 3/8/94 - Road Warrior Hawk vs. The Pitbull; Kevin Sullivan/...

WWE.com Article on Hulk Hogan Talking About His Relationship With Randy Savage http://www.wwe.com/classics/hulk-hogan-on-randy-savage-26214976 New Jack/WWE Network Update In the past 24 hours, all of New Jack's matches have been added back to the ECW shows but they have dubbed over his theme song, "Natural Born Killaz," with an instrumental hip-hop track and new voiceovers on commentary from Joey Styles. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com RoH / New Japan Events Will be Available on iPPV http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/roh-new-japan-events-be-ippv Dragon Gate USA Stars Sign Contract Extensions Both Johnny Gargano and Ricochet have signed extensions with the company. The length of the extensions has yet to be confirmed. Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 03.27.14 Taped from Orlando, FL Your hosts are Tom Phillips, Alex Riley & Jason Alberts This is subtitled “Vengeance” so I guess they’re going with a “big show every month” format now. Fine with me. The graphic on the front page of the Network shows Neville holding up the belt, so hopefully they didn’t spoil their own main event.

Ready or not, the “Grand Daddy of Them All” is right around the corner. It is one of the biggest entertainment spectacles of the year. No matter what, WrestleMania 30 will go down in the record books, as it is the first PPV that will air on the WWE Network. One would speculate that there were a handful fans on the fence about ordering the network, basing their decision on how compelling Wrestlemania’s card is. This, of course, put a lot of pressure on the creative department because they had to create enough anticipation. Has creative done its job? Aaron Glazer, former Inside Pulse and New York Examiner expert, will be joining me to find out.

Impact Wrestling Date: March 27, 2014 Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're less than a month into the MVP Regime and things are already looking down on the new boss. The big story coming out of last week is Magnus retaining the World Title with the help of Abyss, much like he did at Lockdown. Other than that we have Roode vs. Ray coming up and Angelina Love attacking Madison Rayne last week when Madison turned down her offer to reform the Beautiful People. Let's get to it.

NXT Vengeance Date: March 27, 2014 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Jason Albert, Tom Phillips, Alex Riley Reviewed by Tommy Hall Tonight is another of those big shows for NXT called Vengeance. The idea here is a bunch of long standing feuds or rematches, such as Neville vs. Dallas II in the main event. Other than that we have Parker vs. Rawley, Natayla vs. Charlotte and Breeze vs. Woods. NXT knows how to put on the big shows like this so hopefully they continue the trend here. Let's get to it.

Here are your choices: Ted DiBiase http://www.rfvideo.com/shootwithteddibiase.aspx Roddy Piper (Highspots Shoot) http://www.highspots.com/p/8451.html Jesse Ventura http://www.rfvideo.com/jesseventurashootinterview.aspx Vote by clicking on the link below. Voting Ends Saturday Night at 7pm http://poll.pollcode.com/86595884

Matches for Tonight Include: Gunner vs. James Storm in an Unlocked Match Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne

I'm in a romantic mood today mostly because the picture to the left is what I was up to on Tuesday with a lady who kinda sorta looked like Selena Gomez. Thus, a sappily romantic question for those of us happily taken, unhappily taken, or on the way to being happily or unhappily taken. Love at first sight? Yes or not? If yes, did it pan out for you long-term?  What is your greatest courtship?  What is the greatest courtship in the history of television? Jim / Pam? What about pro-wrestling? I was a bit sappy for Steph & Test, but found myself fond of Kane & Tori, too. Bonus: What are your top three most romantic songs? 1. Hands Clean by Alanis Morisette, 2. "Huckleberry" by Toby Keith 3. "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz.

This was filmed on August 10 th , 2004 The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein It is a two-disc set with a runtime of two hours and fifteen minutes

The live stream schedule for today: 9:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 7/26/93 - Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. 10:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 8/2/93 - Randy Savage vs. Doink. 11:00 AM ET - Legends of Wrestling - 4/1/11 - Canada's effect on WWE. 12:00 PM ET - WCW Bash at the Beach '95 - 7/16/95 - Hulk Hogan vs. Vader, WCW Championship in a Steel Cage; Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair in a Lifeguard Match. 3:00 PM ET - Old School - 12/22/91 - MSG - Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair; The Rockers vs. The Nasty Boys. 5:00 PM ET - WCCW - 3/7/83 - David Von Erich vs. Jimmy Garvin; Iceman King Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts. 6:00 PM ET - Best of RAW - 2/18/02 - Triple H vs. Kurt Angle; The Rock vs. a Semi. 8:00 PM ET - WWE Main Event Replay - 3/25/14 - Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler for a shot at the IC Title. 9:00 PM ET - WWE NXT - Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas - NXT Championship Rematch. 10:00 PM ET - WWE Superstars - R-Truth/Xavier Woods vs. 3MB; Emma vs. Summer Rae. 11:00 PM ET - W...

Hey Scott, I was just wondering if you could chime in on a debate that's been going on today on the blog. People have been debating whether or not Bryan is more popular now than Bret and Shawn ever were and that led into a discussion about whether or not Bret was a draw and if the actual down turn in WWF business was his fault for not drawing. So 1) do you think Bryan is more popular than Shawn or Bret in the 90's 2) Do you consider those guys "draws" for keeping the WWF alive and enjoyable in the mid 90's or are there short comings (and not the growth of wcw/steriod scandals/loss of hogan and savage) to be at blame for the down swing in business. Thanks! I don't think Bryan is more popular because house show business hasn't gone up with him on top, whereas Bret won the title from Diesel in 95 and immediately the numbers went up noticeably.  Plus Bret was a legitimate mainstream sports star worldwide.  It's hard to do any other kind of ...

Hey Scott,   Over the years, it seems like everyone who knew and worked with Andre has said that for the most part no one told Andre what to do. Hogan has said that he still wasn’t sure if Andre would put him over at Wrestlemania 3. Did Andre have “backstage veto power” to the point he didn’t have to lose to no one? Were people that legit scared to say anything to Andre?   Thanks   Vince Hogan is completely full of shit.  Andre didn't lose often because it would be terrible for business for him to lose, but there certainly were times where he did the job.  He was a scary guy for a lot of people but it's not like he was Bruiser Brody, threatening to leave the territory if he did a job.  It's kind of like Undertaker now, where he would end the streak if asked, but no one is gonna ask.  

So a week or so ago, someone asked you about an "All time Mania card" with one match from each following the obvious rules of "no repeated wrestlers or titles."  I even included this years Mania with the Shield vs. Kane/Outlaws 6-man.  I only picked 2 must have matches (Austin/Bret 13, and Savage/Steamboat 3).  Everything else was worked out as I went along.  I tried to hit as many of the top stars as I could only omitting guys like Foley, Flair and Batista; plus I managed 8 title matches (7 really, I counted the Million $ Belt) and some celebrity involvement.  The only one that I think may draw attention is the Battle of the Billionaires match as Stone Cold is special ref, and Vince is obviously in one corner but they're not technically wrestling AND Foley wrestled and refereed at WM15.  So here ya go, personally, knowing what we know, I'd main event Rock/Cena or more likely Shawn/Taker. ...

RVD Update RVD is scheduled to return to the 4/7 edition of RAW to start a several month run with the company. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Notes From Recent WWE Tryout Camp Roderick Strong was described as the standout of the most recent tryout camp, with his physical and speaking abilities. Kevin Steen was also described as standing out for being in better shape. Other names in the camp included ACH, Michael Elgin, Rocky Romero, Willie Mack, and Arya Daivari, the brother of former WWE wrestler Shawn Daivari. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Former Announcer Returning to the WWE? Reportedly, the WWE is close to reaching a deal with Jonathan Coachman. They ideally would want him to host in-studio wrap-up shows and possibly even a talk show. On Twitter a few days ago, Coachman tweeted out that he had a "cool" announcement for WWE fans next month in regards to something happening this Summer. He will still work for ESPN ...

This is the earliest episode that is posted on The Network. Joey Styles opens the door for us, welcoming us to NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling, and already in the ring are The Public Enemy, Flyboy Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge. Joey's broadcast partner is Paul E. Dangerously. Paul was actually the newly-named booker for the company, as Eddie Gilbert split after then-owner Tod Gordon had enough of Gilbert's craziness. ECW Mutant Watch #1: the guy holding the sign that has Beavis & Butthead on it with "NWA: No Wuses (sic) Allowed".

Monday Nitro #161 Date: November 2, 1998 Location: National Car Rental Center, Sunrise, Florida Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko Reviewed by Tommy Hall Things actually aren't that bad for WCW right now as we're heading into World War 3 and then Starrcade. The main stories at the moment are of course more Warrior vs. Hogan and Bret vs. Page for the US Title. The execution of the stories last week wasn't horrible and the episode was much easier to sit through than usual. Let's get to it.

Maybe an interesting read for the Heavenly BOD-ies: http://www.kayfabermetrics.com/does-triple-h-bury-people-the-numbers-say-no/ I think this comment section on this one could get rowdy. Jesus fuck, are there actually people trying to do this sabermetrics bullshit with WRESTLING?  I can understand sucking the fun out of baseball because it's all based on stats and percentages as a part of the game, but wrestling is a WORKED SPORT.  The mind boggles.  

Its 13 years since wcw died. What do you remember about the final nitro? Here is the final nitro from youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaocHIpPLPo The wwf raw from that night is on the network too. I was paying so little attention to WCW at that point that I don't think I can even remember anything about the final Nitro outside of the Flair-Sting match.  Nitro was just never a part of my experience as a fan because we didn't get it in Canada, and so I never had any particular nostalgia for it like a lot of other people do.  I was much sadder about the end of WCW Saturday Night and Worldwide, for instance, shows that I had been weaned on as a fan since the 80s.   I'll probably redo the RAW from that night pretty quick, though.  I've been wanting to revisit it.  

Do you think that McMahon would ever consider partnering up with Dana White to put some UFC on the WWE network? Or perhaps classic MSG boxing matches? If Vince is really serious about running a network, shouldn't some of the content be from non WWE sources? Isn't that how most networks tend to work? Yeah, but he doesn't need to attract non-wrestling fans to his wrestling network.  That's kind of the point of doing it the way they are.  If I want to see UFC content I can subscribe to Fight Pass.  That's the beauty of the WWE Network -- it's EXACTLY what people have been saying they wanted out of the network all along.  

The Masked Reviewer chats with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan about Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies, Mid-South Wrestling, Legends House, Bruiser Brody, Vince Russo, turning heel, 2x4s, and more...

Long profile from Forbes on Vince McMahon but the most interesting part is that MSG & Comcast are rumored to be trying to buy the company. Vince doesn't play it down, but why would he since it's inflating the stock so much.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/msolomon/2014/03/26/vince-mcmahons-over-the-top-move-why-the-billionaire-ceo-is-betting-big-on-the-new-wwe-network/ I'm pretty sure Vince isn't planning to sell.  But man, can you imagine the soulless crap that the show would turn into under a corporation like that?   At least Vince understands wrestling.

Waiting for the Trade by Bill Miller   Young Allies by Sean McKeever, David Baldeon and Emma Rios collects Young Allies #1-6, Age of Heroes #2 and Firestar one shot   Why I Bought This: Firestar and the Rikki Barnes Nomad are both favorites of mine and they are featured in this. Also McKeever wrote the Nomad: Girl Without A World series I previously reviewed as well as a Gravity digest I picked up for $3 and the quality of those two made me think this would be worth checking out.   The Plot: A group of young superheroes are drawn together by the actions of a new group of super-villains, who claim to be the children of some major baddies. Best of all they are calling themselves the Bastards of Evil. Heavy spoilers follow after the break  

The live stream schedule for today: 9:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 7/19/93 - Marty Jannetty vs. Shawn Michaels - IC Title Match 10:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 7/26/93 - Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow 11:00 AM ET - Royal Rumble 2014 - 1/26/14 - John Cena vs. Randy Orton; Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar 2:00 PM ET - Wrestlemania Rewins - 3/25/14 - Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart and Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X 3:00 PM ET - WWE Countdown - 3/25/14 - Top ten biggest blunders 4:00 PM ET - WCCW - 2/26/83 - Freebirds vs. Von Erichs in a Lumberjack Match 5:00 PM ET - SummerSlam 2012 - 8/19/12 - Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar 8:00 PM ET - Old School - 10/19/86 - Houston - Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff; Davey Boy Smith vs. The Iron Sheik 9:00 PM ET - Best of RAW - 2/17/02 - Triple H vs. Kurt Angle #1 Contender Match; a confrontation between The Rock and Hollywood Hogan 11:00 PM ET - Old School - 10/19/86 - Houston - Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff; Davey Boy Smith vs. The Iron Sheik For recommended vi...

Hey Scott, a couple of questions for you. First I know you gave up on reviewing Raw but can we expect a rant on WrestleMania? Second, we all talk about the next big thing in wrestling (the next Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena). Could Bryan be the next big thing if they book him right at WrestleMania? 1.  I imagine so, but then it took me three years to get around to WM27.   2.  Sure, but it'll really depend on HOW he sells that fourth Pedigree before HHH pins him.  

Hi Scott, Why doesn't the WWE ever hire acting coaches? It seems so obvious when some of the most, if not the most, important aspects of wrestling are acting based (making an emotional connection with the crowd and being able "sell" (literally acting like you've been hurt)). Hell, they spend millions of dollars on fancy atheletic centers, and even great wrestlers like William Regal and STEVE AUSTIN say you can be the best wrestler in the world and it doesn't matter if the audience doesn't believe in you, IE Acting. Thoughts? They used to.  Rock got acting lessons between his initial babyface run and his return as a heel, and you can tell how it paid off.  John Morrison also was taking them, and I think Dolph Ziggler as well.  But yeah, it pays off in SPADES for guys and I'm shocked they don't do it more.  

Reasons for WWE Inducting Scott Hall into the Hall of Fame as "Razor Ramon?" The reasons that the WWE chose to induct him as the Razor Ramon character is that Vince is really proud of the fact that Razor was one of the first heel characters that the crowd loved and that they can always induct him into the Hall of Fame later on as Scott Hall, as part of the Outsiders. Credit Dave Scherer, PWInsider.com Christian Update The reason that Christian was pulled from the Intercontinental Title match on "Main Event" was that he suffered a "slight" concussion. He will be held out of action until he can pass the Impact testing. Credit Dave Meltzer, F4WOnline.com Another Team Added to the WrestleMania Tag Team Title Match Los Matadores have been added to the match, which will also feature Curtis Axel & Ryback and the Real Americans against the Usos. Credit Dave Meltzer, F4WOnline.com Who Will be Inducting Lita into the WWE Hall of Fame? L...

Hunger Games: S&M Edition "I like the game is chode-like in that it’s thicker than it is long. "   - Paul Meekin While playing “Thief” on my Xbox One, I was baffled - I loved this thing - it was studious and deliberate, challenging but fair, and pretty as all get out. Yet, the word on the street pre-release was not good nor has it improved since. The development history was moderately infamous, especially when the working title of “Thi4f” was announced, but I didn’t get it. Then it dawned on me. The virgin effect. From noted video game personalities like Yahtzee at “Zero Punctuation” to the Idle Thumbs podcast, to the folks on “Youtube” and “Penny Arcade” -  the people I looked toward for intelligent gaming discourse, played the “well it’s not as good as…” card. It’s not as good as “Dishonored”. It’s not as good as the first one. Its world is not as open, its characters have all changed, its different from what “Thief” should be. These people, so pa...

Hey Scott, I'm watching the RAWs from 1993 on the Network and wondering why the sudden change in character with Lex Luger at the Intrepid body slam thing? Strange that he changed from heel to face with no real explanation.  That's all I got. Thanks. Because they were paying Luger a shit-ton of money for a character that was belly-flopping like Rikishi in a wading pool, and they figured that with Hogan gone they would kill two birds with one stone and get their American hero and return on investment with Luger.  And honestly, if they hadn't fucked it up with the Summerslam delay of the payoff, it would have worked fine.  

Hey Scott, As pumped as we all are for Daniel Bryan to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX, Gabe Sapolsky is downright giddy. http://temple-news.com/arts/corrigan-owl-owner/ Thanks! Man, in hindsight, I really wish they would have figured out a way to get that belt onto HHH before setting up the Bryan feud, because Orton v. Batista v. Bryan is not exactly a dream match, but HHH taking matters into his own hands and carrying the belt he obviously feels he deserves until Bryan takes it from him once and for all...now that's a big moment. Also, at the risk of fantasy booking, I feel like HHH kind of needs to turn face at WM.  Like he gives Bryan the beating of a lifetime and loses, and then the beaten Bryan is getting whomped by the heels and pounded with chairs or what have you, and here comes HHH to help finish him off, but he respects Bryan more than Orton or Batista now so he evens the odds with the sledgehammer for the big swerve and lets Br...

January 4, 1986 Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura The show begins with Hulk Hogan and Gene Okerlund near the beach as Hogan is mixing his "Python Protein Drink." He gives Okerlund a sip and he starts convulsing then begins to flex. We are then shown Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura laying on the beach with a dozen or so girls behind them as they look at the Hillbillies in the water. Piper calls Uncle Elmer "Moby Dick with feet" and they promise to beat them tonight. They had a beach theme for the show as it was filmed in Tampa, on December 19th.

by Logan Scisco - Michael Cole narrates a video package that recaps last night’s Unforgiven pay-per-view.  Tonight, Vince McMahon will make a decision about WWF Champion Steve Austin’s future . - Jim Ross and Michael Cole are in the booth and they are live from Hampton, Virginia. - Footage of D-Generation X preparing for their “invasion” of WCW Monday Nitro, who are running Nitro in Norfolk tonight, which is about fifteen minutes from where Raw is being hosted, is shown.

Today's QOTD suggestion comes from Wes A, whose work I loved in "Anonymous".  I was recently reading Cornette's latest rant on "funny doesn't draw money". What are your thoughts on comedy in wrestling? Should it be regulated to promos? Do you think comedy matches have a place in the business? Any examples of good comedy matches/promos that you like?

Daniel Bryan Update The decision to keep Bryan off of RAW was done at the last minute by the creative team Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com This Week's Smackdown Main Event Revealed It will be Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/36108-smackdown-main-event-for-friday-night-taped-in-boston The Dish Network Will Carry WrestleMania http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/36109-dish-network-to-carry-wrestlemania WWE PPV Updates The "Money in the Bank" PPV will take place in June, instead of July, and the "Battleground" PPV will now take place in July Credit Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com Kayfabe Commentaries "YouShoot" with the Insane Clown Posse Released Today Below is a clip of the trailer

Here's a debate a few of us had drunk last night: did Punk's straight edge lifestyle directly lead to his departure? Everyone raved about how healthy & "younger" he looked on Talking Dead after only a relatively short time off. Do you think he hit a point where he was so banged up, but didn't have the old school (and awful) avenue of booze & pills to recover? Wrestling's need of an off season aside, isn't it better that a smaller guy like him walks away for a while instead of making terrible decisions? Of course that led to an awesomely terrible confession that I fear for Daniel Bryan's life and concern he'll end up like he who shall not be named but only featured on the network. Tackle any and all of these ramblings. -Ronnie Vod Oh, clearly Punk trying to fight through injuries and road life and banging hot skanks without painkillers was a major contributing factor to his burnout and troubles.  I don't think any sane person...

The live stream schedule for today: 9:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 7/12/93 - Crush vs. Yokozuna 10:00 AM ET - RAW Flashback - 7/19/93 - Marty Jannetty vs. Shawn Michaels - IC Title Match 11:00 AM ET - WWE Superstars - 3/20/14 - R-Truth/Xavier Woods vs. 3MB 12:00 PM ET - WWE NXT - 3/20/14 - Sheamus vs. Aiden English 1:00 PM ET - RAW Backstage Pass - 3/24/14 1:30 PM ET - Wrestlemania XXVIII - The Rock vs. John Cena - ONCE ONCE ONCE in a Lifetime 5:30 PM ET - Beyond the Ring - For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley 8:00 PM ET - Main Event LIVE - Big E vs. Christian - IC Title Match 9:00 PM ET - Wrestlemania Rewind - Bret Hart vs Owen Hart and Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X 10:00 PM ET - WWE Countdown - Top Ten Biggest Blunders 11:00 PM ET - Main Event REPLAY - Big E vs. Christian - IC Title Match Recommended viewing: I'm going out on a limb here and suggesting WCW Fall Brawl '94. It has a very good Johnny B. Badd/Lord Steven Regal TV Title match, the usual Stin...

This probably has no relevance, but I was just thinking, at WM X, Bret Hart who was a smaller wrestler, walked out as world champ. Ten years later at WM XX, Eddie Geurrero and Chris Benoit, who were smaller wrestlers both walked out as champs. Now, Daniel Bryan, a smaller wrestler has the chance to walk out as champion ten years later at WM XXX.  Am I reading into this too much? I'd sure warn Daniel about potential head injuries if this was the case.  

Hi, i was wondering if you knew the backstory to RVD & Tommy Dreamer signing with wwf in 2001? When did they sign?- Same time as Rhyno, Taijiri, Spike, Lynn, Credible or were they quickly signed to deals when they decided to have ECW join the WCW invasion. Were there ever any other plans on how to debut them before they added ecw to the invasion storyline? Pretty sure that they came in with Heyman, and there was definitely no big plans for them beforehand, especially given the chaotic nature of the booking at that time.  

March 24, 2014 Live from Brooklyn, NY Your hosts are JBL, Jerry Lawler, and Michael Cole The show starts with a video highlight package on last week's brutal beatdown of Daniel Bryan at the hands of HHH.

When last we left our heroes, their backs were against the wall. Daniel Bryan was left in a heap on Raw, while the Shield was dismantled on SmackDown. As the biggest city in America gets ready to host the biggest Raw on the road to WrestleMania, will the balance of momentum swing back in the favor of the fans' choices? Or does a milestone Mania have all the makings of gloom and doom? The PG Era Rant for Raw, March 24, 2014. Live from BROOKLYN, BROOKLYN! Your hosts are the usual suspects.

Hey Scott, The seventh and final part of Bump in the Road just went up. I even name-dropped and linked your blog at the end as a special thanks for continuing to link my series. Enjoy that extra half dozen or even a dozen hits! http://nickpiers.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/bump-in-the-road-part-7-epilogue/ It's true, I am awesome.  

Howdy BoD'ers! Speaking of Phil Hickerson, look at him schooling these two kids Jim and Steve. What the hell would they ever amount to anyway? Not much to talk about this week. Waiting for the next big thing to pop up on the Network whether it be Shotgun Saturday Night, old AWA shows, Wrestling Challenges from the 80s or NWA Worldwide. I need something though. I might review Wrestlemania 28 this week if I can find the four-hour block to watch it. Wrestlemania buildup just continues to be rough. And the idea of Billy Gunn and The Roadie trying to leech off of a hot act like the Shield is HIGHLY annoying unless they just don't get any offense EVER. Like every match should be Gunn and Dogg taking ridiculous ass kickings and Reigns putting his foot on both of their chests for victories. Obviously the RIGHT choice was Harper and Rowan but hell I would've taken Ryback and Axel because at least they could benefit from a program with the Shield and gain a little traction. ...