Loss

Oh, man, these press releases are priceless.

I was also thinking this is really how the NWO should have ended. All of them get into a limo and it explodes.

Wow. Hogan/Andre on NBC when Hogan dropped the title after wearing it for 4 years. Probably the most famous angle of the 80s. Dave Hebner pretended to be Earl Hebner and counted the pinfall on Hogan even while he had his shoulder up. They portrayed it as if DiBiase found some random dude and gave him plastic surgery to look just like Earl Hebner. Andre wins the belt and immediately hands it to DiBiase. Hogan did a big infamous interview afterward, screaming "How much was the plastic surgery, brother?" and crying foul. I'm pretty sure it's the most watched wrestling match in the history of American wrestling. (Before anyone contradicts that, remember that most of the matches you hear about regularly are matches that aired on cable.)

Am I missing something here? Do you not know what that quote references?

I'm also wondering if maybe this is also part of some elaborate scheme to trick Bret Hart into doing a storyline. They're going to try to frame Bret as a suspect on TV now, and Bret is particular about the way he is viewed by his fans, so he'll feel like he has to make a one-time appearance on RAW to set the record straight or something.

I'm pretty sure this is going to be remembered for years and years to come. I'd call it the new millenium version of "How much was the plastic surgery, brother?" actually.

I have no clue what to say, really.

Considering that they no longer bring in money on ad revenue, PPV buyrates aren't what they were and house show attendance is on the rise, would it make sense at this point to restructure the business model and go back to doing more local hype and doing big angles and occasional title changes on house shows, only to re-show them on TV later? You can argue that they've moved on past the point where this would work, but if house show attendance is going up while everything else is stagnating or dropping, maybe there's something there. Just an idea.

I doubt this will happen. He has a shoot interview with RF coming out where he supposedly trashes Ric Flair and Arn Anderson based on their comments on the Four Horsemen DVD, and HHH has also criticized him a lot in the past. Too many forces against it happening for it to happen.

I'm detecting sarcasm.

It's funny because you wouldn't think so at all, but I've found that people like Jerry Lawler and Dusty Rhodes are more likely to capture the attention of a non-fan than someone like Hulk Hogan. I think one of the reasons people in the wrestling bubble overlook for wrestling not being mainstream is that everyone involved is seen as some type of neanderthal, and it looks silly as a result. That concept is lost on companies that think a guy has to be over a certain height or have a certain build in order to be pushed. I wouldn't say it's so much the case now, but there was a time when HHH was pretty embarrassing from the outside looking in, because he looked like a freakin' caveman.

Vince had already shown an understanding of wrestling by 1977, and had success promoting Ali/Inoki. He was also a good announcer. Vince at that stage showed a lot more potential than either of his children have.

Yeah, this is not something I think of at all as a TSM spinoff at all. That said, good to have you aboard, Jingus.

All that we know about Shane, aside from the fact that his TV personality is more grating than even Stephanie's, is that he likes Test, MMA and the show Jackass. I'm not confident in his ability to run WWE creatively or to recruit the right people to do it. Stephanie and HHH don't have the acumen of Vince McMahon, but they're better than Shane, based on what we know. Either way, WWE will fall dramatically when Vince dies.

Okay, there are still a few people I haven't heard back from, but I've heard from the vast majority, and there's no point in delaying this any further. I've suddenly become pretty cramped for time, as expected, but that's okay, because I copied all the discs a couple of weekends back so everything is ready once I package it. This Saturday, everything will go in the mail. If anyone who signed up hasn't paid or at least talked to me about it at this point still wants to do this, Saturday would be the deadline. Thanks to all.

"I'm good at Roman numerals, no, that's not true, I'm great! I used them on my tax returns of 1988! They brought me in for questioning and wow were they impressed! Imagine what they'd think if I had really done my best." -- "The Genius" Lanny Poffo

"Roses are red, violets are blue, Bobby Heenan is an idiot, OH YEAH!" -- Randy Savage

"Ric Flair, you are proof that most white people ain't got no rhythm." -- Dusty Rhodes

"My father, many years ago, died in my arms after a professional wrestling match. I don't remember a lot of what happened right afterward, and I don't really remember the funeral. But I do remember visiting the grave frequently, and when I was all alone, just me and the Texas wind, on the tombstone were the letters F-U-N-K. I vowed at that moment to make that name synonymous with wrestling, and that's what I'm going to do, Ricky Steamboat. Even if I have to step on you or your half-breed, pig-nosed, punk kid to do it." -- Terry Funk

If you ever get a "This page can not be displayed" message when you're trying to log in, please post in this thread when you are finally able to log on and estimated date and time that you had the problem, and how long it lasted (if applicable). Thanks.

Post about matches you are watching this month here.

Your favorite wrestling quotes go in this thread.

Again, I'll start a new thread every month for 24/7 talk so it's easier to follow. Also, if there's something on 24/7 that you think deserves its own thread, feel free to start one.

I was hesitant to start this, because sometimes people have a tendency to post things here that really do deserve a thread, but I'm going to start it now. I just ask that if you really think something does deserve a thread, make a thread for it. Also, I'm going to open a new one every month so someone can easily read from the beginning instead of having to wade through 100 pages to catch up.