Talk about everything going on tonight here

"Scott, idea for WrestleMania - Brock defeats Reigns. Suddenly Sid RETURNS OUTTANOWHERE and comes runs to check on Reigns. Heyman challenges Sid on Brock's behalf. Reigns tells him to take it. Sid squashes Brock. Reigns goes to congratulate Sid, who POWER BOMBS him for grins. Then, billions  of dollars are made with the Master and Ruler of the World." Down voted for suggesting that anyone could draw money based on something involving Roman Reigns.

Thunder Date: October 7, 1999 Location: UTC Arena, Chattanooga, Tennessee Attendance: 2,411 Commentators: Mike Tenay, Larry Zbyszko Reviewed by Tommy Hall Back to this disaster again as it's we're still getting close to Halloween Havoc and the question this week is what can Goldberg do to Sid's car now. Actually the question would be why is this the best they can come up with. Russo and Ferrara aren't in charge at this point, so this might actually be the last taped event (save for Saturday Night with its insane schedule but who cares about that show at this point?) before they took over. Let's get to it.

Hey Scott, all this talk of Sid and Shawn on the blog got me thinking. We all know the stories of Michaels being difficult behind the scenes, especially when it came to dropping titles, but I don't remember ever hearing anything about him having a problem losing the belt to Sid at Survivor Series '96, which seems really out of character all things considered. Its hard to believe Shawn was totally cool with a 7-8 month title reign. Was it because he promised the belt back at the Rumble?   -Joey Yeah, he was friends with Sid, and the idea was always to build up to him regaining the title in his hometown at the Rumble.  

That if Brock had gone over Cena in his first match, won every match against Triple H and was undefeated going into mania, and they had Reigns making the roster his biotch post Shield break up, that their mania match would actually be something fans would want to see? Do they also not get that having Bray go over Cena last year and Taker this year for his streak (Brock vs Taker never happens) would set up a big money match for summerslam between Bray and Reigns? Do they not get having Bray go over there and building up a Bray/Reigns rematch for the next mania would draw big? Do they just not get it? I'm guessing they...don't...get it?  Is that the right answer? Also, Brock's buildup has been fine from Big Show to now.  Even with the Cena loss and the HHH bullshit, they've done a masterful job of rebuilding him into a beast.  The problem is wasting it on Reigns.  Because he sucks.  

https://www.facebook.com/officialvincerusso/posts/386607868178447 I feel like this is an Onion article come to life.  I assume this means his meeting with Lucha Underground that he denied ever happened went well..........  

If the Internet existed in the 80s and early 90s what long term booking angles would have gotten the most hate? One example I thought of was peak randy savage basically doing nothing from summerslam 89 to royal rumble 91 while earthquake warrior and the like main evented.  Another was bret toiling in the tag division when he was clearly ready for a singles push Any great ones you can think of? Dude, the internet totally did exist in the late 80s.  By the time I got to RSPW in 1992 it was already well established.  And people bitched just as much back then as now.  

Hey Scott, Do you think the fans that dislike Roman Reigns would have been more accepting of him if post-Shield he received more of a Baron Corbin characterization and/or push? You know, he comes out, doesn't say anything, does that thing where he cocks his fist for the Superman punch, knocks the guy out, wins, and walks away. I feel like they need to bring Vince back for commentary so he can fully explain to the viewers about Roman's meaty thighs and beautiful hair, much like Big Show didn't get over until Michael Cole fully explained how big his hands are.  Or how Tamina didn't get over until they explained how she was Jimmy Snuka's daughter.  MONEY LEFT ON THE TABLE. And for a general answer to the question, almost literally ANYTHING would be more effective than how they've booked Reigns thus far.  

Good afternoon Mr. Keith.  When we hear "One of the Greatest matches of all time", there is a lot of usual suspects.  But i'm curious on a couple childhood favorites of mine that I wonder if I ever even seen their greatest match.  Indulge me: None of these would be particularly “obscure”, I’d say.  Greg Valentine Most of his really great stuff came pre-WWF.  The dog collar match with Roddy Piper at Starrcade 83 would probably be the concensus pick, although he had some tremendous tag matches with Beefcake against the British Bulldogs.  There’s a really great one on an early SNME.  Tito Santana The IC title match with Mr. Perfect on SNME is likely his best major televised match.  The cage match where he regained the IC title from Valentine in 85 is also a hell of a deal.  Rick Martel He had some really good ones as AWA champion, but nothing I can remember vividly off-hand.  Bam Bam Bigelow He had some awesome ones in Japan.  A t...

Hey Scott, My short story from 2013, 'The Shoot', has been adapted by The Wicked Library for their podcast. It's a tale of horror and pro-wrestling, and I was wondering if you could give a quick plug? http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HCGZWC9X Thanks, Kevin

Impact Wrestling Date: February 27, 2015 Location: Manchester Arena, Manchester, England Attendance: 3,300 Commentators: Josh Matthews, Taz Reviewed by Tommy Hall It's off to England now after two pretty solid shows in Scotland. The main story coming out of last week is MVP earning a World Title shot by winning the gauntlet match, even though it was more of a group effort from the Beat Down Clan. Other than that we have the continuing story of Bram vs. Magnus, which should pick up again here in England. Let's get to it.

The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 02.26.96 By popular demand, it’s back on the horse again. Sorry guys, I really did think you were getting sick of mid-90s WCW content. I’ll try not to let you down any more. I pledge to bash that piece of shit Hulk Hogan TWICE AS MUCH to make up for this. But remember, I’M JUST ONE MAN! Dedicated to Leonard Nimoy. Live from Knoxville, TN. Your hosts are Eric Bischoff, Mongo and Bobby Heenan

Talk about everything going on tonight here

This is our first ECW arena show together, you and I. I remember, roughly 15 years ago, spending far too much time, effort, and money, trying to amass an unrivalled VHS collection of every wrestling program that ever aired in the history of the universe. This particular show was my first eye opener that there were some slippery people in the tape trading world. I, man of my world, traded someone a money order for roughly $25. They, in turn, traded me the finger. I never did wind up with my copy of Crossing The Line Again; though if you’d asked me to be patient for a decade and a half, and that one day everything I ever dreamed of could be digitally sought out and placed on a hard drive the size of one VHS tape, I could have invested thousands of dollars into my future and … who am I kidding, I wasn’t waiting no 15 years. We start with a passionate speech from  PAUL HEYMAN , promoting their first ever pay-per-view in April.  THE ENTIRE ECW LOCKER ROOM  is with him, th...

Question for you Scott... the NWA historically had a champion that could take care of himself in case someone tried to shoot and take the belt.  Is there anytime that you can think of that Flair had to fight off a shooting opponent? Only the guys that he stiffed on the bar tabs.  

Hey Scott, super long time reader... I was trading e-mails with someone I'm a big fan of on a radio show who thinks Shawn Michaels is... well, let's just say heavily overrated. That's another story in it's entirety, however, one part of his opinion seemed insane to me... he claimed Shawn, unlike Flair, Bret, Bryan, etc., never carried a bad worker to a great match. Obviously this is insane, but I was wondering if you could please give me some of the best examples you could think of off the top of your head? Not asking for any deep contemplation or anything, of course. I imagine this may seem unbelievably silly - and it probably is - but any help would be appreciated! Thank you for phrasing it in a way where I can continue to bash Hogan and Reigns.   Shawn carried Hogan's (literally) broken down ass in 2005, lock stock and barrel. As an alternative you could look at Tatanka at WM9.  Or Ken Shamrock in 97.  Or the best example, Kevin Nash at WM11.   D u r i ng his pri...

Hey Scott, Can you explain why so many people seemed to have thought Sid had the potential to be a top draw, "the guy" level, main event player? Obviously he's got an imposing physique and had a certain charisma in that insane intensity, but I can't imagine why anyone would ever see him as anything more than a great candidate for Hogan's 80s monster heel of the season. He could never work, to the point that he was sometimes dangerous, he got by on that intensity in his promos, pretty much never saying anything of substance, and his energy was so aggressively (p)sychotic that I can't imagine why anyone would ever think he could be a babyface. I'm mystified as to why this guy was being positioned as the future at certain points in both WWF and WCW- did he ever really draw? Why? Who was paying to see this guy?! Best Casey Way more people than were ever going to pay to watch Roman Reigns.  Sid at least had an actual star presence and charisma in his own weir...

With the rumor being Brock stormed out of Raw after contract disputes with Vince, what are the chances Brock just says screw it and shoots on Reigns at Wrestlemania? We know Brock can be a hothead anyway, so what better way to tell Vince and the WWE to F off than take care of the "next big thing" on your way back to UFC? It's not like Reigns (or anybody else for that matter) could stop Brock if he decided to do that. That IMO would be a true wrestlemania moment. a) No one would understand what was going on. 2) Brock doesn't give enough fucks to do that.  He's a smart enough businessman to know that it's not worth burning that bridge anyway.  Brock cares about money and Brock and I really doubt he gives a shit about laying down for Reigns, even if he was leaving.  

Mark Henry Update Although there is no word when he is returning, Henry has reportedly lost a lot of weight since the last TV appearance. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter TNA Talent Increasingly Frustrated? While on the tour in the UK, the talent reportedly came to the realization that with no house shows or PPV's planned and just about everyone paid on a per appearance basis that everyone will earn substantially less this year. Also, there is a recognition that TNA is staving off dying as opposed to before when there was the idea that they were trying to grow. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter WWE Cancels Plans to Induct Hall of Famer It appears that plans to induct Ray Stevens into the WWE Hall of Fame this year have been cancelled.   http://pwinsider.com/article/91911/early-details-on-wwe-network-plans-for-wrestlemania-hall-of-fame-updates-and-more-news.html?p=1 Also, check out Place to be Nation's "The Great Wr...

Hey Scott, Long time reader, second time e-mailer. I've been watching early Raw & Nitros from March 1996 on the Network. One thing I've noticed during the Raw intro is a shot of President Piper slapping Goldust... yet this is in the opening credits weeks before he even showed up. Any guess as to why such an odd edit? It looks like (according to Youtube) that it replaced a shot of someone (Jarrett?) hitting Ahmed Johnson with something (a gold record?) from behind while he was talking to Lawler at ringside. Also... this is (obviously) from Raw in March of 1996. http://youtu.be/xuIrP4pDIJY?t=27m14s Isn't that Lex Luger's WCW theme playing? How'd they get away with that?!? Regards, Steven PS: Is it white and gold, or blue and black? ​IT'S FUCKING BLUE AND BLACK!  How can anyone possibly see it the other way?  FUCK! Anyway, as to the question, they would do those kinds of weird edits a lot.  During the Bill Watts era, they would show a clip of next week's ...

Hi Scott, hope you are well. Have noticed that you've stopped you're reviews of the 1996 Raws & Nitros. I was under the impression that you had been enjoying the shows (at least the Nitros). Had that changed, or did life get in the way? They were a cool little peek into the past, and I hope they're not gone for good, especially with how important '96 was in the big picture. Take care. ​The impression I was getting from the blog was that we're a little overloaded with 1996 WCW reviews, so I decided to cool it for a while.  I wouldn't want to Roman Reigns the reviews. ​

Smackdown Date: February 26, 2015 Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton Reviewed by Tommy Hall Wrestlemania is creeping up on us and you can see most of the card from here. The main story coming out of Monday was Randy Orton rejoining the Authority for about two and a half hours but ultimately turning back against them. For some reason he let Seth Rollins off easy, which likely won't be addressed tonight. Let's get to it.

This week I have chosen four shoots from guys who have recently left the WWE. Here are your choices: Alberto Del Rio http://www.rfvideo.com/albertoshootinterview.aspx Curt Hawkins http://www.rfvideo.com/curthawkinsshootinterview.aspx Drew Galloway http://www.rfvideo.com/drewgallowayshootinterview.aspx Tyler Rex http://www.rfvideo.com/tylerrexshootinterview.aspx Vote by clicking on the link below. Voting ends Saturday at noon. http://vote.pollcode.com/43398313

On tap for tonight: WWE Smackdown airs at 8pm EST on Syfy, highlighted by a rematch of the six-man tag from Fastlane as Dolph Ziggler & Ryback & Erick Rowan take on Seth Rollins & Kane & Big Show. The NBA has two games on the schedule that will be shown on TNT. At 8pm EST the Golden St. Warriors take on the Cleveland Cavaliers while at 10:30pm EST the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Phoenix Suns. In the NHL there are 9 games on the schedule with the Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators at 8:30pm EST on NBC Sports. College Basketball has multiple Nationally televised games tonight, highlighted by #21 SMU vs. Memphis at 9:00pm EST over on ESPN 2. Also, don't forget to check out Place to be Nation's "The Great WrestleMania Re-Book Series" as they cover WrestleMania IV. Click on the link below and give that a read. http://placetobenation.com/the-great-wrestlemania-re-book-wrestlemania-iv/

http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2015-02-26/wwe--rey-mysterio-officially-released-from-contract Can't say I blame him.  

Apparently this agreement was made a few months ago for Mysterio to leave at the end of February. Also, the AAA promotion in Mexico has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe-news/41389-mysterio-no-longer-under-wwe-contract

This was filmed in 2005 The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein It runs at two hours long

Hi Scott,   Long time reader of your stuff - All the way back to 411 days etc......   Always browse your blog, I've started this reviewing lark myself, and enjoy doing it but have 14 views....14.    Know this isn't normally "the done thing" but I'm a 33 year old Scotsman who wants the world to hear what I have to say about wrestling. Plus im not good at it and need feedback on how to improve!   A gentle blog post with the link would be lovely :) http://youtu.be/JjQ9_p7ab60     If you like this, i'd happily do these for your blog for every WWE PPV (and NXT big event)......   Good Evening  

And now a collection of the Reigns mail I got this morning!

http://www.avclub.com/article/chris-jericho-how-rednexs-cotton-eye-joe-tractor-b-215052 Hatesong is typically the bottom of the AVClub barrel for features, but Chris Jericho cutting a crazed heel promo on "Cotton Eyed Joe" while the interviewer tries to play along politely is probably the best one they've done.  

Brock Lesnar Update Just prior to this past Monday's RAW, Lesnar and Vince McMahon got into a business disagreement about negotiations over a new contract. Although the exact matter has been kept quiet it is just business related and not about any creative differences. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter WrestleMania Ticket Sales Update At this moment there are between 11,000-12,000 tickets still left for the show. It has also been noted that those who have been unable to get their friends comped for the show in the past have been able to do so this year. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Ring of Honor Looking for a New Television Deal? The company is currently in preliminary talks with both Spike and AXS regarding a potential television deal. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Also, head on over to Place to be Nation to check out the latest episode of the "Kevin Kelly Show" podcast with his guest, St...

Scott: Thinking through all the Mania title matches, have you ever seen the babyface challenger come in this lukewarm for his 'moment'?  I know Cena has split crowds, but he was way over when he wrestled JBL.  And do you agree with Meltzer this week that the fans have given in on Bryan or could we see the backlash fire up again in a huge way as they head to San Francisco (where Bryan was Mr. Giants) and then Chicago for Extreme Rules?  ​I think the fans now know and have accepted Bryan's demotion at this point because obviously going against it went nowhere.  Like the song says, when I fight authority, authority always wins.  Even if the Reigns thing flops in May and they suddenly decide to go back to Bryan again, the time to pull the trigger was now and it'll be just as doomed to failure as Reigns was.  ​I'd post the Meltzer piece here because it's seriously one of the best things he's written, but that of course would be bad.  It's easily...

Has there been any other  WrestleMania that has had the opportunity to be such a disaster? Sure others such as IX and XI, weren't great, but they knew where they were headed going into the show. This year you just get the feeling they have no clue.  I've been a fan for over 30 years and for the first time ever, I have not one bit of interest in the show. ​ Hey, look, I've got no problem with the story being told or whatever.  I don't mind if the promotion picks a guy and says "Here's the guy, we're gonna push the shit out of him" as long as they can justify it with crowd reactions or numbers or SOMETHING.  I'm a wrestling fan, I know the deal.  That being said, Reigns has nothing.  He doesn't draw ratings, move house show numbers, sell merchandise, cut promos, or get great crowd reactions.  He's a guy that some people like, and some don't, and most don't really care about.   ​ As to the content of the e-mail, Wrestlemania 25 was rea...

Hey Scott, There have been several wrestlers whose first world title win has been at wrestlemania but it hasn't happen in awhile. Savage at 4; warrior at 6; Yokozuna at 9; michaels at 12; Austin at 14; Benoit at 20; cena and Batista at 21; and Rey at 22. If reigns wins, this will be the first time in 9 years a persons first world title was at wrestlemania. One cannot even say it is because of the two title system because all of the recent wm title changes like Bryan and cena and Sheamus already a world title for 2-3 reigns already. Thoughts? ​It just goes to show how incredibly stale all the characters over the past few years have been, with everyone already multiple time World champions by the time they get to Wrestlemania.  That's one thing that worries me a lot about moving the belt from invisible champion to Reigns -- you can bet they're going to start going back to the follow-the-bouncing-ball title changes when business drops and they need a ratings crut...

NXT Date: February 25, 2015 Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida Commentators: Corey Graves, Alex Riley, Tom Phillips Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're still living in Kevin Owens' NXT as he shows no sign of letting up soon. Last week he ran through former NXT Champion Adrian Neville, clearing more of the path to get to his showdown with Finn Balor. Other than that, we have the potential split of Carmella from Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, which might be well received by the NXT fans. Let's get to it.

Last week, Pitbull #1 returned to the mother of all pops against Shane Douglas, delivering the strongest January show to date. With one date left before we check in with Punxsutawney Phil, the month is looking to end with a bang (but sadly, not a bang bang, since he’s off grinding with strippers while dressed like a mentally deranged turd). We are ANYTHING BUT LIVE from Scranton, Pennsylvania! JOEY STYLES kicks us off just as we started and ended last week, with THE TRIPLE THREAT and FRANCINE . Douglas forces Styles to stay in the ring, and says he’s fairly sure he knows who the masked man is. And, if it’s who he THINKS it is, then he knows he’s a ladies man who’s after Francine and not his belt, and if that’s the case, he best step off. Just to make sure the masked man keeps away, he’s hired a body guard. Out walks MIKE AWESOME – holy crap, I didn’t even know he was around in 1997! Douglas gives away the identity of the Masked Man for the handful of people who weren’t able to ...

Talk about everything going on tonight here Also, head in over to Place to be Nation and read "The Great WrestleMania Re-Book Series" as they cover WrestleMania III. You can read that by clicking on the link below. http://placetobenation.com/the-great-wrestlemania-re-book-wrestlemania-iii/

Monday Nitro #208 Date: October 4, 1999 Location: Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri Attendance: 6,942 Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan Reviewed by Tommy Hall We're getting closer to Halloween Havoc but tonight we take a detour into something that is actually special. Less than five months earlier, Owen Hart passed away in this same arena. His brother Bret wanted to do something special for him, and that's what we're getting on this show. Let's get to it.

Undertaker Update According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, the plan is for the Undertaker not to make any live appearances as a way to build anticipation for his first appearance since losing at WrestleMania. The Undertaker will respond to Wyatt's challenge, just not in front of a live crowd. http://pwinsider.com/article/91848/undertakerwwe-update.html?p=1 RAW Ratings RAW had 4.12 million viewers this past Monday, up from 3.99 the week before. Here is the hourly breakdown: 8pm: 4.08 million viewers 9pm: 4.11 million viewers 10pm: 4.18 million viewers http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe-news/41360-raw-ratings-for-monday WWE Executive on CNBC's "Closing Bell" Show Chief Strategy and Financial Officer, George Barrios, was on the show and said, among other things, is that the WWE Network can reach 3-4 million subscribers over the course of the next 3-5 years. Click on the link below to view Barrios' appearance http://www.cn...

http://i.imgur.com/KnaLX7q.jpg               View on i.imgur.com Preview by Yahoo     Chance of veracity?   ​Come on, dude, really?  I should also point out that it's not a rumor if it's true.  If anything they should test for illegal horse shampoo.  ​

Hi Scott Hope you and your family are well I've been giving some thought of getting back into reviewing shows again. Back when I did it for Pulse Wrestling, I'd do the traditional "play by play" review style for matches. That got a bit tiresome though and, to be perfectly honest, it was far too much like your review style. (Seriously, I basically had my own version of all your best lines. Instead of "BONZO GONZO" for example I had "HOUSE EN FEUGO") I've had a go at a new review style and I was wondering if you'd mind posting this to the blog just so I can get some opinions on it? As it stands, I'm not looking at going back to reviewing full time, but if there's elements here that The Doomers like I might be able to cultivate them and it could motivate me to start doing reviews more often. So yeah, I'm essentially looking to do some market research if that's okay with yourself? It's cool if not of course, but I just thoug...

March 29, 1987 From the Ohio Center in Columbus, OH Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon This show aired the same day as WrestleMania III In action tonight will be Tito Santana, King Harley Race, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

​ ​ AJ Lee calling out Stephanie McMahon on Twitter regarding wager equality for Divas. I never was a fan of using social media for story lines, but I'm 100% on board with this one! ​ http://thebiglead.com/2015/02/24/wwe-diva-aj-lee-publicly-calls-out-stephanie-mcmahon-over-womens-wages-and-air-time/ ​ Between the #givedivasachance trending on Twitter for over 24 hours and now aj calling out steph on Twitter two questions 1) will the wwe actually care? ( about anything other then Twitter) 2) is aj trying to get canned so she can join punk in the leisure life? Or is she firing back for their videos of punk? ​ I think it's probably a storyline, because at the very least Stephanie isn't 6 weeks behind pop culture like Vince is and probably wanted to run an angle based off the Oscars.  And AJ has been rumored to return for a while now, so this is as good a chance as any.  Probably won't lead to anything other than Stephanie wearing 8 inch heels and talking down to AJ on RAW...

Do you know why we're not getting Taker/Sting?   It's not that I actually want that match but it's had an underground pulse for years.  Then finally Sting comes in an it's for Hunter?   My theory, HHH (believe it or not) is a lot easier to get to job at the point and put Sting over than Taker.   But it's just weird that for years we all expected Sting/Taker and then they pass it up. ​ No, no, you're all confused.  I'm pretty sure they told us that what we actually wanted to see all these years is HHH v. Sting.  Remember when DX fired the first shot in the Monday Night Wars?  That was HUGE!  

The following was reported by Mike Johnson from PWInsider.com "WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was backstage at Raw but was not used. Lesnar flew on his private plane to Nashville for the taping earlier in the day on Monday. According to those who saw him backstage yesterday, Lesnar was obviously angry about something and one source claimed he walked out of the taping before it ended.   There are different stories making the rounds, but PWInsider.com has been told it was not something on the creative end that set Lesnar off, but something regarding his business relationship with WWE. No one we spoke with was willing to elaborate beyond that, but several made it clear it had nothing to do with any planned booking. Vince McMahon acknowledged the issue during a Smackdown production meeting today, a source claimed, but did not elaborate on the issue. Lesnar has returned home to Minnesota and is not backstage at Smackdown.   Lesnar is not advertised...

Not a whole lot going on tonight. The WWE Network is replaying the Steve Austin Podcast with Vince McMahon at 9pm. There is basketball, college and pro, as well as hockey. So, talk about all of that and more here. Also, check out the "Great WrestleMania Re-Book Series" over at Place to be Nation as they cover WrestleMania 2. Click on the link below and give it a read as several staff writers (myself included) write up their own card for the show. http://placetobenation.com/the-great-wrestlemania-re-book-wrestlemania-2/

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe-news/41360-raw-ratings-for-monday Man, why hasn't a wrestling promoter thought of advertising someone for a show and then leaving him off before?  Apparently it's pretty effective at making people watch.  

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/wwe-monday-night-raw-february-23-2015-215679 Apparently this is now a thing they do.  And yet they don't review Vampire Diaries anymore!  Sheesh.  

Hi Scott, I did a liveblog of that shitty Fastlane last night. I'm usually pretty angry about bad shows but I almost fell asleep before the Cena match. Could you plug it on the blog? I know this is completely against your standards but it would be appreciated. http://shitetalk.me/2015/02/23/wwe-fastlane-2015-liveblog/ Cheers!

Last week was one of the wildest, most unpredictable episodes of RAW seen since the Pillman gun angle a couple of months ago. Bret Hart, sick and tired of being jerked around quit the promotion out of frustration. Lead announcer Vince McMahon inexplicably rushed backstage to help appease whatever problems he was having; but why? This isn’t the first time it’s been insinuated on camera he’s got an awful lot more stroke than just calling the matches, and he’s slowly but surely getting outed as the puppet master behind it all. Meanwhile, Steve Austin continued to trash talk everyone and anyone, and wound up getting into a brawl with just about every main event player on the roster as a result. Gorilla Monsoon also stripped Austin of his Wrestlemania title shot (but not his Rumble win), and booked a 4-way elimination match for the next pay-per-view amongst every wrestler directly impacted by Steve’s shenanigans, with the winner going to Mania.

Brock Lesnar Update Lesnar, who was advertised to appear on RAW last night, was backstage at the show but not used. Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio Update on Daniel Bryan's Potential WrestleMania Opponents As it has been reported before, the word coming out of Fastlane is that Bryan will face either Dolph Ziggler or Sheamus at WrestleMania Credit PWInsider via Wrestling Inc AJ Lee Update AJ is expected to return to TV soon as creative as a storyline in place for her return. Credit PWInsider.com via Wrestling Inc NXT Star Backstage at RAW Last Night Kalisto was backstage at the show last night. El Torito tweeted out a picture of him with Kalisto from RAW. https://twitter.com/WWEElTorito/status/570023085660774400/photo/1 ESPN Plans to Air Piece on the Von Erich Family The piece will air during the 6pm EST broadcast of Sportscenter this coming Friday. http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/41347-espn-to-air-vo...

Despite the fact that Roman Reigns is Batista 2.0, despite the fact that Daniel Bryan is beyond over with the fans, despite the fact that that Reigns has three moves to speak of and gets winded after 5 minutes, despite the fact that he's dull and has no marketability at ALL, and despite the fact that the main event at WrestleMania is, possibly, one of the least-anticipated main events in the history of that pay-per-view (with fans cheering for Brock Lesnar by default), Vince and WWE Creative don't give a shit what you think and they're gonna make Roman Reigns the next big star come hell or high water.

TITLE MATCHES! 4 big title matches here. Three great matches, and one of the biggest stories of the year when a main event title match ends in a legit bloody shoot (!) that will be referenced for years to come. ZERO1: Kohei Sato (c) vs. Masato Tanaka - [2/8/15] For the ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship, as Sato defends against the legendary Tanaka. This match had everything I love about wrestling: Hardway blood from legit headbutts, vintage Masato Tanaka no-selling, and 2.9999 counts. Super heated down the stretch. NOTE: The bullshit pop-up spam stops about halfway through. .

Not that WatchMojo needs the publicity, but this was actually a REALLY good list that was obviously written by someone who understands the lingo.

This has nothing to do with the WWE

Scott, Recent reports suggest WWE is optimistic about Brock signing an extension. JR commented on this as well speculating that future health concerns from UFC may be included in Lesnars thought process. If indeed that is the case then wouldn't Lesnar jobbing at mania be a colossal waste of $ unless they are planning a double turn. Is there money in Lesnar going over and Reigns learning from this and coming back stronger next year ala Shawn Michaels wrestlemania 11 & 12? ​I think that recent history has taught us that there is no money in Reigns and even less in Brock given his costs.  I would be gobsmacked if Brock ends up anywhere other than UFC. ​

Howdy Blog O'Doomers! No need to take up too much space because I don't want Disqus to take too long loading up the comments complaining about Roman Reigns. TV Tonight: RAW is LIVE! The Voice season premiere. The Bachelor is on. We've got a TCM showing of 1977 Best Picture winner Annie Hall and HBO America has the Oscar-winning documentary, CitizenFour, on tonight 8 NBA Games tonight with the Bulls-Bucks and Memphis-Clippers being games of interest. 2 NHL Games with the Ducks-Red Wings being a nice late game. New Better Call Saul, Gotham, 2 Broke Girls, etc. etc. So just keep it clean.

Hi Scott, Once Reigns wins the title at Wrestlemania, how long does he hold it for? Fan reaction clearly isn't that much of a concern as it's more about WWE having a plan and sticking with it for better or worse. Yet what is the plan with Reigns as champ? Fight Big Show, Rollins or Orton before falling to Cena at Summerslam? Keep it on him for a year and hope something happens by fluke to keep Reigns "popular"? Wrestlemania's main event is a foregone conclusion having being telegraphed for months but what follows hopefully creates some intrigue. Cheers. Yeah, that's the other issue with his push.  The story leading up to the Lesnar win is one thing, but who are his challengers after the show?  Big Show?  Kane?  Evil Sheamus?  Bray Wyatt?  It's bad enough that the whole run-up to the WM season feels like it was booked on a napkin based on Vince's whims as it is, but I don't feel like there's any real long term plan evident.  And ...

With the Royal Rumble behind us comes a fresh set of WWF Superstars tapings from the Cajundome in Louisiana. A HUGE crowd appears to be in attendance for this one – and speaking of huge, JAMES E. CORNETTE has risen from the dead to reclaim his place at the announce table. Unfortunately, JIM ROSS is also here. SUNNY , dressed in nothing more than a sports bra, is YOUR official timekeeper for the Superstars Bowl tonight. Lest we begin arguing on how family friendly Sunny’s cleavage is, the announcers turn to figuring out the rules for the Superstars Bowl. Despite a particularly convoluted explanation from Cornette, it’s an elimination tag-team match.

Hey Scott, Was just thinking, is the fact that Reigns basically the same guy he was in the Shield hurting him? In the past, if a tag team broke up and Wrestler A was getting a push, that guy would get a total make over (Re: Rick Martel, HBK, JBL, Scott Steiner) Meanwhile, the other guy, if nothing was really in the works for him, would basically do the same old pre-break up stuff (Marty, Tito, Rick Steiner), With the Shield, it's entirely reversed. Rollins and Ambrose got new and distinct personalities, outfits and music while Reigns (Intense love of Looney Tunes aside) is basically the same guy was before. Shouldn't they be doing everything possible to help him stand out? That is the LEAST of his problems, but yes, absolutely.  If anything Ambrose should have kept the Shield music and look because it fits his character and personality.  

I know that it is difficult to get the regular Raw viewers to buy into Divas matches and the Divas division overall, but is there a way to change that? In other words, is it just assumed that the Divas are always going to be eye candy and bathroom breaks, or can the audience be broken of that perception? After listening to his appearance on Austin's podcast, it sounds like HHH genuinely wants to get the Divas more time on television, so will we ever get a big angle -- an angle that isn't built around Total Divas? I mean, even if they did a badass invasion angle with the NXT Divas kicking the Raw Divas asses, could it actually get the girls over on the main roster? Nope.  It's a different audience, who are trained to treat the Divas matches like buffers or bathroom breaks.  And then the announcers reinforce it by treating the title like a second-class goal to being on Total Divas.  I hope Sasha and Charlotte stay in NXT forever. 

WWE.com RAW Preview http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2015-02-23/raw-five-point-preview-2015-02-23-27137470 The WWE Is Out to Seek Revenge Against CM Punk? Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter posted the following on his website's message board about why the WWE is firing back against CM Punk through Dr. Chris Amann's defamation lawsuit: WWE lost round one to a guy they now believe beat them at their own game and they can't say that so this is what they are doing. When they settled, they thought he had them dead to rights. Now they think he outworked them and they don't take that as well. Thoughts about who wins the court case is missing the entire point. It's never going to trial. It's about revenge for them being worked into caving early. At least that's their version. They have to use the doctor because they can't sue. B ut they absolutely believe they are in the right." Credit Dave Meltzer, F4WOnline.com WWE Hall of ...

The SmarK Rant for WWE Fastlane 2015 – 02.22.15 Live from Memphis, TN Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL This show is presented by the WWE Network itself. WE’RE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, PEOPLE.

WWE Fastlane is a new pay-per-view gimmick, following in the grand tradition of former car-related shows such as WWF Breakdown, and Hermie Sadler Presents TNA #1. The show emanates LIVE from Memphis, Tennessee, and tonight’s Panel features BOOKER T , COREY GRAVES , BYRON SAXTON , and RENEE YOUNG . Renee is the first female broadcaster with any credibility in well over a decade, and possibly since Sunny. She’s fantastic. Byron Saxton is not. The big pre-show angle features Paul Heyman on MizTV. Half of that sounds awesome, and it's not coming the guy whose gimmick is based around that very concept.

The Kickoff Show starts at 7pm EST on the Network, WWE.com, WWE App, and other platforms. That is highlighted by "Miz TV" with guest Paul Heyman. The actual PPV begins at 8pm EST. Matches include: Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns for a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania Rusev vs. John Cena for the WWE United States Championship Dolph Ziggler & Ryback & Erick Rowan vs. Seth Rollins & Big Show & Kane Dean Ambrose vs. Bad News Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship Goldust vs. Stardust Usos vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro for the WWE Tag Team Titles Nikki Bella vs. Paige for the WWE Diva's Title Plus, the face-to-face confrontation between Sting and HHH Also, due to popular demand, any spoilers posted from Reddit will be deleted immediately. Let's try not to spoil it for anyone else. Enjoy the show

Talk about all the Sunday monster truck action right here. Bayless will probably have the PPV thread up later on.

Last week, the WWF failed to Shock Us with topless managers, sex with Todd Pettengill in an Elmo costume, or the ever present threat of Goldust giving birth. Instead, they bored us with Steve Austin running rampant around San Antonio for an hour, getting into both a verbal and physical showdown with Terry Funk. Somehow, this turned out amazing. Have we learned anything? Or will heading back to New York ruin it for all of us? We are LIVE from Webster Hall, because THIS stupid show is the one show that doesn’t need to be taped.  SUNNY  is dancing on a stripper podium, while  VINCE MCMAHON  and  OWEN HART  handle commentary duties.

Hey Scott, I've been watching NXT and I would like to say that Finn Balor is an amazing talent and a guy that exudes star power. This make me happy, as it sounds like they want to call him up and I'd love for Raw to have some cool wrestlers on it. But I also got to thinking about other can't miss prospects, specifically Cesaro. Cesaro certainly isn't dead and buried, but he's had a couple pretty crappy years now and I think I know why. Cesaro and Balor are badasses, they're clearly super talented at wrestling and look like they should be building pyramids out of the skulls of their enemies. They're almost too cool, and that makes it really strange when they're forced to interact with losers like Miz or Ziggler or Ambrose. And it's not like this is a plight of talented wrestlers losing to not-so-talented wrestlers. Sami Zayn is great at looking good in defeat because he's the "normal dude" with tons of heart he can be beaten, But Cesaro ...

Whenever the topic of ROH comes up,inevitably you see someone saying they won't watch it because of someone being a "bigot." Who's the bigot,and what did they do to earn that reputation? I know the Briscoes wear rebel flag bandanas and patches and stuff,but I always thought that was just (an ill advised) part of their "good ol' boy" gimmick,not a legitimate political statement. ​Zuh?  I've never heard of any bigotry.  Perhaps your friends are thinking of Rob Feinstein and his run-in with an undercover pedophile sting operation years ago?  ​

Hey there - In the Theszies / RSPW (rec.sport.pro-wrestling) Awards, you - or someone who gave us your email address - voted, and asked us to email notifications of results and stuff. If you'd like to see this year's Awards (and you said you did previously, so that's why we're emailing you), just follow this link: http://mightygodking.com/2015/02/19/the-2014-theszies-rec-sport-pro-wrestling-awards-results-post/ We're setting up a mailing list! We had an overly complicated and manual email system, and from now on, it should be simpler and more timely. We're only automatically adding voters from *this* year; we'd prefer to avoid spamming outdated email addresses. You can subscribe over here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/theszies-announce We're also on Twitter at @RSPW_Awards. Thanks for voting, and we'll see you (hopefully) in December when we begin taking nominations for the 2015 Awards! MGK, ...

OK, this might be a weird one, but here goes...when Sting stopped bleaching his hair & letting it grow out in late '95/early '96, was it for any reason? The Crow Sting idea wasn't until well after the nWo was formed in the summer of '96, so did he just want a different 'do, or was there some sort of reinvention planned for him in general around that time? Yes, I actually sit around wondering about shit like this.  ​ I think general rumor is that he basically stopped giving a shit due to Hogan related stuff, and a possible drug problem.  I never heard of it being part of a bigger plan or anything.  

Good Morning Mr. Keith, just some random questions I have as this winter has me exploring a lot of shows on the network: The Network is indeed great.  ALL HAIL THE NETWORK! 1.  Did Eddie Guerrero have the ear/back/support of someone with a lot of clout?  Or was it just out of respect of the family name, because, sure, he wasn't given world titles, but in the early days of Nitro and into the NWO, he sure got a lot of TV wrestling  time to show his skills, and quite a bit of offense on Ric Flair in numerous matches. It was the name and he really worked hard to impress people, which gave him a lot of support backstage. Especially his showing at When Worlds Collide, which basically was the catalyst for the whole luchador invasion in the first place.  People really loved the guy.  2. I don't hear much about, if at all, these days Creative Control in big names contracts.  I know WWE is smart enough not to let happen what WCW happen, and we're past the days...

On tap for tonight: At 8pm EST on the WWE Network you can see the "Best of Hall of Fame" show as they highlight Gene Okerlund and Shawm Michaels. Then at 9:30pm EST you can watch the 7/29/89 episode of "Saturday Night's Main Event." The NBA has 5 games on the schedule tonight. At 8pm EST the Phoenix Suns face off against the Chicago Bulls on NBA TV. In the NHL there are 9 games tonight. At 9pm EST the Los Angeles Kings take on the San Jose Sharks over on NBC Sports. College Basketball has several Nationally televised games tonight, highlighted by #3 Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's at 10pm EST over on ESPN 2. Also, the Koko B. Ware shoot interview won the poll and that recap will be posted Thursday at noon. And as usual, talk about anything else going on tonight here.

It’s all about the Souled Out fallout tonight! Somehow, on the show where they completely dictated the pace, the rules, and the story, the nWo managed to lose two of the three belts they were holding hostage, AND Eric Bischoff dropped off the last of his dignity somewhere between the dentures of a 78-year old road warrior. She was a different kind of Animal than the ones you folks immediately pictured. Through the hazy fog of regret we all felt on Saturday Night’s pay-per-view, is WCW actually rallying against the invasion, or was it a fluke? Well, considering this show is being called nWo Monday Nitro, with the announce team made up of  ERIC BISCHOFF  and  THE OUTSIDERS , I’d say we’re not on the right track.

Seeing as it is a slow day here on the blog, I'd figure I would re-post a review to get some discussion going. This was my tryout review that I submitted to Scott over 2.5 years ago.  For those unaware, this was the debut show from TNA, back when it ran weekly PPV's. They aired on Wednesday as this format lasted for two years until they switched over to a TV show with monthly PPV's.  June 19, 2002 Live from the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, AL Your hosts are Don West, Ed Ferrara, and Mike Tenay

Thunder Date: September 30, 1999 Location: UTC Arena, Chattanooga, Tennessee Attendance: 2,411 Commentators: Mike Tenay, Larry Zbyszko Reviewed by Tommy Hall Thankfully this is another live Thunder (well liveish. It's airing at about 11pm due to a baseball game but at least it's not the second show of a taping) which tends to be a lot easier to sit through (not good mind you) than the dreaded taped versions. It's still about the old guys fighting over backstabbing and lying or Goldberg crushing Sid's car because Sid is still a major thing in WCW for whatever reason. Let's get to it.

Hey Scott,   Hope all is well. Got a quick question for the blog for you   I've been watching a bunch of old Raws (96-97) and reliving my childhood. I totally forgot about how often they would plug the damn hotlines. I never had parents permission so couldn't call in.   My question's pretty simple: did enough people ever call these damn things for Vince & Co. to make money off them and what was the content like? I imagine it just being like having someone read you old Ross Reports or Russo's Raw Magazine column. When did these go away - I don't remember some random day where the plugs stopped.     ​ Oh yeah, they made a buttload of money off those things.  Mean Gene in WCW in particular.  I think their must have been some sort of change in laws that prevented them from carrying out past a certain point because of kids accidentally racking up phone bills, but they did really well while they were around.   As for the content, I never called m...