I just happened to come across ROH a few weekends ago on KDNL in St. Louis. Pro Wrestling on KDNL, just like the old days.
The addition of Kevin Nash totally killed any excitement I had for current shows. CM Punk should have been given a longer push (the buyrate for MITB was WWE's 2nd highest rating for 2011). I have to agree, most of the guys look the same. There was a greater diversity in talent, characters, and body types in the 80's and 90's. Most of the guys now look like rejected bodybuilders.
I was a big pro wrestling fan in the 80s until 1988 (when the broadcast started getting too formulaic for me). I didn't watch any of it until a chance viewing of Raw in mid 1998. Wow! The way each character was worked into an interesting storyline, the lack of jobber vs. star matches, and the way the show kept me watching was far different from those 80s' shows. I felt the same way about Nitro upon watching it as well. I gradually stopped watching as well for the reasons tony and jason stated above: it seemed like WWF programming never really developed truly compelling characters after WCW's demise in 2000. Currently, neither Raw nor Impact gives me a reason to consistently watch...
Barry Windham health update; Class move by WWE to have Ric Flair on TV while member of TNA: MOONEYHAM COLUMN: Four Horsemen back in the saddle By Mike Mooneyham [email protected] Sunday, January 15, 2012 The greatest unit in the modern era of professional wrestling is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. And one of its members, arguably the greatest performer of our time, is returning for an encore. While last week’s announcement of Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen’s impending induction into the WWE Hall of Fame didn’t exactly come out of the blue, it did come as a big surprise to the 16-time world heavyweight champion. After all, it was less than four years ago when Flair was enshrined in an emotional and memorable ceremony in Orlando, one night before his final WWE match with Shawn Michaels. On March 31, the Nature Boy will walk the aisle once more, but this time in Miami, becoming the first wrestler in WWE history to be honored twice. Thirteen-time world champion Triple H (Paul Levesque) broke the news to his longtime friend prior to the announcement on Monday Night Raw. Flair was at TNA tapings in Orlando when he received the call. “It’s amazing. It’s very cool. The whole TNA crew was watching the vignette. I started crying when they aired it,” said Flair. The longtime Charlotte resident, who “retired” from WWE in 2008, has worked for TNA since January 2010. His selection marks the first time a performer under contract with a rival promotion has been inducted into the WWE Hall. All four members of The Horsemen — Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham, along with manager J.J. Dillon — are expected to attend the ceremony. Windham’s appearance will be a special one, as he survived a close call several months ago after suffering a heart attack and a seizure. But the eldest son of WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan (Bob Windham) is making slow but marked progress, and is expected to be released from a Florida rehabilitation center within the next couple of weeks. Flair, who turns 63 in February, joked that his Hall of Fame speech will be limited this time around. “They told me I could only talk seven minutes,” said Flair, whose impassioned acceptance speech in 2008 lasted well over an hour, with Triple H making several trips to the podium to rush Flair due to network time constraints. Flair, who attended last year’s WWE ceremony in Atlanta to see Michaels’ induction, says he is eagerly looking forward to the event and reuniting with his former stablemates. “We’re going to blow the roof off,” he said. Edge (Adam Copeland), who was forced to retire last year due to a neck injury, also was announced last week as a Hall of Fame selection, becoming the youngest inductee in history at age 39. The selection of Mexican superstar Mil Mascaras was announced last year. It has been reported that the late Yokozuna (Rodney Anoa’i), who passed away in 2000 at the age of 34, will be the next inductee. The WWE Hall has been criticized in the past for a number of questionable selections as well as notable omissions. There’s little question, however, that stars such as Bruno Sammartino, representing the company’s early days and title lineage, and the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage, representing WWE’s more current past, are bona fide first-ballot candidates. But neither is in the hall, nor do chances appear favorable for their future inclusion. Sammartino, a former two-time WWWF champion who held the title more than 11 years, thus far has refused to accept an induction. “I guess one should never say never, but I would have to see an awful lot of change before I would even think about it. A lot more than what I’m seeing now,” the 76-year-old Sammartino said last year. Savage, who left WWE on bad terms in 1994, passed away in 2011 at the age of 58. Some also are questioning the exclusion of Ole Anderson (Al “Rock” Rogowski), a member of the original Horsemen, from the soon-to-be-honored group. Anderson, however, has stated in the past that he had no interest in taking part in anything related to WWE and company owner Vince McMahon. He said Friday that his stance hasn’t changed. “Vince McMahon hates my guts, and I don’t like him. So that’s all there is to it,” said Anderson, who was part of one of wrestling’s most famous tag teams, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, with the late Gene Anderson. “To be a part of that, anyone with a brain knows who the first Four Horsemen were. It was me and Arn and Ric and Tully Blanchard, and J.J. Dillon was the manager. So if they don’t know that, they don’t know anything about wrestling anyway. So what’s the difference?” “Vince McMahon is never going to call me,” added Anderson. “I hate his guts just like he hates mine. It’s no big deal.” Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to attend due to health problems, said Anderson, 69, who has battled multiple sclerosis in recent years. “I can’t go anywhere anyway. I’m so screwed up from the multiple sclerosis. I’m in a wheelchair right now, and that thing kills me after a little while and then I have to lay down. That’s my routine. How would I get there? By car? I couldn’t do that. By airplane? I just couldn’t get there.” Furthermore, said Anderson, he has difficulty assigning any type of value to the induction. “They’ve inducted me in some halls already. Years ago I was down there with Verne Gagne and Lou Thesz. Who the hell is better than Verne Gagne and Lou Thesz? I wrestled both of them, and I know exactly what they could do. Verne asked me what I thought back then about our induction, and I said, ‘Who’s going to care? Twenty years from now nobody will even know who you are. And there’s probably not too many people who know who you are right now.’ Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne were certainly two guys who should have been in any kind of hall of fame. But what did it mean? Nothing.” And, he adds, it wouldn’t mean anything now. “I told Vince McMahon to go (expletive deleted), and I wouldn’t change my mind now.” Mulligan, one of Anderson’s old ring foes, called it a “travesty” that Ole wasn’t included. “Ole was the mastermind of the whole deal. It’s always been Ole’s deal. It makes Vince’s Hall of Fame cheapened,” Mulligan told the Fight Sports Examiner. “Ole is so hard-headed, he’s not gonna listen. Ole and I have the unique ability to put our foot in our mouths. We just can’t shut up at times. We think we are too smart sometimes. But Ole had one of the greatest minds this business has ever seen. And he should be in the Hall of Fame with the Horsemen.” Another former Horseman who didn’t make the cut, Lex Luger, told the Busted Open satellite radio show last week that he didn’t feel snubbed and that Windham, if not Ole, deserved to be among the group inducted. “I think Barry Windham would be a splendid choice for getting inducted. What a great honor for him. I think it would be a great time in Barry’s life right now, from what I hear, for him to receive that. I’m going to be down in South Beach for Wrestlemania. I wouldn’t miss it. I will be in the audience cheering on the guys who gets selected as The Four Horsemen. I’m just thrilled that I was a part of it at all. I think Barry is a great pick.” Luger certainly can relate to Windham’s health problems. In 2007 he suffered a spinal stroke that led to temporary paralysis. His change in attitude reflects a sharp departure from the days Luger was known as “The Total Package,” an egotistical, narcissistic heel that mirrored his real-life persona. The current version of Lex Luger (Larry Pfohl), however, is a born-again Christian who eagerly shares what he calls “the confessions of a drug abuser” and rails against the dangers of drug abuse. Another WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry “The King” Lawler, told the Miami Herald last week that there might be some who are a little jealous of Flair’s second induction. “Ric Flair having two rings is going to make a lot of people a little bit jealous,” said the WWE commentator. “Though there is no way you can say the Four Horsemen are not worthy of being inducted in the Hall of Fame because, as a group, industry-wide, they were as formidable a group of talent that there ever has been.” Wrestlemania 28 will be held April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami has already established on-sale records for number of tickets sold and gross amount. But for many, the highlight of the weekend will take place the night before Mania and the highly anticipated Rock-John Cena showdown. The Horsemen, the greatest legacy in pro wrestling, will share the spotlight one more time. And with them, front and center, will be Ric Flair, styling and profiling in front of thousands of fans, some of whom fell in love with him more nearly four decades ago, others learning in later years “what all the excitement was about.” And you can bet that the “dirtiest player in the game” will be flashing the Horsemen’s signature four-finger symbol of excellence, with two of those fingers proof positive of that fact.
Earth to Ole: not offering an induction is not an admission that WWE is ignorant of wrestling history or of the history of the Horsemen. It is an acknowledgement that you and Vince loathe each other. Besides Flair is on record as saying that the Flair/Windham/Arn/Tully/Dillon version of the Horsemen were the definitive lineup. The Horsemen are deserving, but I really, really wanted to see Randy Savage inducted instead.
There will be more nominees so still time for Randy Savage. But, Vince McMahon was upset with him until he died so who knows what is on his mind?
It's just a matter of time for Savage. McMahon is notorious for his long feuds, but he always gives in. It'll be good for business to get Savage in there, and Vince eventually does whatever it takes for business.
From what I've read recently, prior to his passing,Savage allegedly said he'd only be inducted into a WWE Hall of Fame as part of The Poffo family, meaning he, his brother Lanny "The Genius" Poffo, and father Angelo Poffo. Marshall Five classic U.S. TV shows still unavailable on home video (not spam): http://marshfish.hubpages.com/hub/Five-classic-US-TV-shows-still-unavailable-on-home-video and Five collectible Paul McCartney related compact disc titles (also not spam): http://marshfish.hubpages.com/hub/Five-collectible-Paul-McCartney-related-compact-disc-releases
I just discovered this thread. I have been a fan of professional wrestling since the late 70s, when I used to watch Georgia Championship Wrestling on WTBS religiously. Over the years, the wrestling product certainly has had it ups and downs, but it seems to have a hit a particular low recently. While I think having some of the old timers on occasion is fun, the recent Kevin Nash appearance was underwhelming. I also saw Roddy Piper do an in-ring segment with John Cena recently that was pathetic. I never thought I would say a segment with Roddy Piper was boring, but it is a reflection of the general ennui associated with WWE programming these days.
I think that Piper-Cena segment was boring due to Cena. Just my opinion. Anyone else getting a kick out of Brodus Clay's new character? I think it's hilarious!
Huge wrestling fan here, have a big collection of dvds and vhs tapes. maybe 4000. Have been a fan since 1978
WWE just had a show here at the Fargodome on Saturday night but I didn't go since I'm not as big of a fan as I used to be. The last wrestling show I ever went to was WCW Nitro in Denver in April 2000. That was the show where Mike Awesome made his WCW debut while he was still ECW champ. That was one of the craziest Nitros ever. Here it is on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2YfiuKSPxk
I agree. And even if the DVD/blu-ray is expensive, at least you get a bunch of extras. I know the results of the various matches. Saved myself $60. I'll get the blu-ray when it comes out because I think this is The Undertakers last hurrah. I think retirement is next.
Supposedly, if the WWE Network gets going most PPVs will shift there. The market for that is dead from all the price increases. The only way to watch PPVs is to get 10 people over and charge $5 apiece otherwise the price is astronomical. I am looking forward to the WWE Hall Of Fame at 8:00 tonight. It will be fun to see TNA star Ric Flair get inducted in WWE with The Four Horsemen.
I think the Undertaker will be 30-0 in ten years. He may just wrestle once a year but "the streak" is Wrestlemania marketing gold for WWE. One of the funniest lines I ever heard came from The Miz when he said last year that he was 1-0 at Wrestlemania, just 18 wins behind the Undertaker!
In case you haven't heard, ex-1970's wrestling star Chief Jay Strongbow (Joe Scarpa) passed away two days ago. Here's my article on his passing: http://marshfish.hubpages.com/hub/Ex-prowrestlingstarChiefJayStrongbow
The man has had a knee operation or two recently. I don't think that he has that much time left. Sad. Chief Jay Strongbow was a great attraction for a young wrestling watcher like myself.
