Loss

Yes, but Ron Reese and Ron Studd are not the same person. Ron Studd is another freakshow that was in WCW in 1996.

Buildup to the match was at least awesome, with Benoit defeating the freakish Ron Studd on Nitro (who's probably a legit 6'8" or better - and I may be underestimating him) with a superplex!

Fair enough. If you aren't concerned about the amount of footage available, then I'm not going to be either. I'm going to take your word for it and say there's no point in holding off any extra length of time on Joshi.

He was also drafted to RAW just when he was getting close with Sharmell.

... this is the way I see the categories going, based on the number of nominations we've gotten. JAPAN I'm thinking it might be a good idea to separate Joshi from the pack and save it for when more footage becomes available, which is what DVDVR is doing since apparently more footage is going to be aired on Samurai TV in the near future. Also, the 90s were an insane decade for work all around the world but especially in Japan, so I think we need to break down the categories a little more. *1980s Mens *1990s AJPW *1990s NJPW *1990s Other Japan *All Joshi MEXICO Since 99% of the footage available is from the 1990-present, I'm thinking we should do one all-inclusive lucha libre category instead of breaking it up by decade. US I think the categories we have set up work just fine here. EUROPE I don't think we should do this category unless we have at least 50 nominees. So, if anyone knows of anyone that could add to the British wrestling noms that doesn't post here, please send them an invite and ask them to help us out. I also see combining pre-1980 men's wrestling into one gigantic category without having to keep Japan and the US apart from each other. For now, keep nominating everything in the threads that have already been set up. This is something we can take care of on the back end. This is more of a commentary on the trends in nominations I see and the best way to streamline things and really make the voting process worthwhile, relevant and fun.

GREAT point. When they do segments like that, they should really finish off the show. But in that, you have the whole thinking-inside-the-box mentality that poisons WWE, because they see Edge and Hardy as midcarders and won't put them in the main event slot for that reason, even if the angle they're trying to sell us necessitates it. Remember in the days before Crash TV when they could headline RAW with an IC title match between Marc Mero and Hunter Hearst Helmsley and no one thought it was weird or anti-climatic? God, I hate Vince Russo.

Are you purposely avoiding any info on Jericho's contract just to pick at me? I know it's in there, because Meltzer said he'd have an update in his preview.

I love seeing Destroyer with a smile on his face. His matches are so full of joy and life.

Do we know for sure yet that Cade and Murdoch are heels? And they *really* need to bring in a pretty boy tag team that appeals to women and push them hard and make them credible against everyone up and down the card. Or maybe it's late and I've watched too much Mid South in the last 48 hours.

He can still bitch about the lack of focus on the cruiserweight division and pimp Angle and Michaels religiously, which he will. He'll probably also tell us how many times Austin sat on the stone cold shitter in the previous week.

Sass, would Roddy Piper have become eligible for HOF induction in 2004 under your plan? Or would you hold out since he still has a WWE Legends contract and *could* wrestle for them, even though it's been 2+ years since his last match.

Let's ask ourselves this. In the realm of all possible things - the most horrible things a person could do personally and professionally - is there anything a Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan or Antonio Inoki could do that would reverse their accomplishments in years past or lessen their initial impact and success? If Ric Flair took a semi-automatic and killed the entire WWE lockerroom at a PPV, would his HOF status be worth reconsidering? If the answer is no, then there's no point in not allowing active wrestlers into the HOF.

Kerry/Flair from 08/15/82 is the best match I've ever seen take place in World Class, and one of Flair's top ten matches ever. Probably Kerry's third best behind another match with Flair I like just a *little* bit more and the famous Jumbo match. I would have ranked this even higher with better booking. The first fall ends in controversial fashion, which is fine because it added nicely to the drama of the match and it's terrific for what it's trying to accomplish. The work in the second fall is great, especially when Flair kicks out of the clawhold pin attempt the first time, which does a lot for the heat and creates more suspense when Kerry finally does get the pin. The third fall finishes too quickly after the second fall and they end in a DDQ, which is kind of a ripoff considering that Kerry's NWA World title chase was the story of the year in World Class. We'd see that journey finalized on Christmas night, and the angle and historic value there are far superior, but this is the much better match, and it's well worth going out of your way to find and see. Aside from the booking, the only thing keeping it from reaching ***** was that Flair kept switching legs - to a point where the clueless Marc Lowrance picked up on it and comedically tried to cover for it - when he was building to the figure four. Runs about 35 minutes and could have easily gone another 20.

According to WWE.com, it's coming back as a weekly feature this Friday. I miss reading the cryptic double talk and unique JR catchphrases. Let's hope this causes some big backstage headaches like it did before!

There are definite benefits. His arrival would give TNA an immediate credibility boost. He could still do all the side projects in the world and have time with his family. The money wouldn't be as good, but his value to the company would be greater and he'd probably have creative control over the direction of his character if he wanted it. The downside is that he'd be getting less guaranteed money, and there's no guarantee that TNA will be in business for any length of time. Signing with TNA would burn bridges with WWE in a major way, and they'd probably bury him on TV constantly, with HHH especially taking lots of cheapshots. In the greater picture, Jericho would be the first big name to voluntarily jump from WWE to TNA, which could start an exodus of talent in that direction. Jericho may or may not be able to talk Rock into making a few appearances since they're close friends. If Bret Hart negotiated with TNA, which is another rumor going around, he'd have another ally. There would still be the chance for sabotage. Jeff Jarrett would definitely feel threatened by him, but if Jarrett's power is no longer an issue, then Jericho wouldn't have to worry so much about it. With guys like Nash and Waltman lurking around, he may still have to worry about getting buried to management. Plusses and minuses both ways, but honestly, I think Jericho is going to get Dudleyed by WWE, since he's voluntarily taking time off, and when they did that, they got canned. That was also after headlining a PPV and doing a big production of a job on the way out. And both Jericho and the Dudleyz were stale as Hell. Lots to ponder.

According to Wade Keller, Jericho's contract expired earlier in summer and he signed an extension to stay with WWE through Monday. He is currently not under any type of contract, but WWE expects him back in time to start a Wrestlemania program for him. He's not contractually obligated to go back though. He could legally sign with TNA if they gave him a big offer.

Are you considering the Hart Foundation Bret and Neidhart or the stable? I don't think there's a case for either group myself, but I do think there are some teams like the Crush Girls and the Holy Demon Army and Misawa/Kobashi that I could see in the HOF. I tried to think of 20 and couldn't.

I'm only bumping this because the issue still hasn't been made clear by anyone talking about it. Is Chris Jericho currently under contract to WWE? If so, for how long?

Good match, but nothing all that special. I liked it about the same as I did before, maybe a *little* bit more.

I added every ****1/4+ AJPW match of the 90s from the Rasman list so we can make sure we get all of those obvious ones and focus more on other promotions that don't get talked about as much.

I meant in the US. My bad. NOAH is definitely big league.

Depends on what time frame you're considering "WCW". 1989 had Ric Flair as a good draw. 1996-1997 had Sting, Luger, Piper and Savage as babyface draws who drew well in a hot period for business. If you're looking at the Crockett days, there's Dusty, the Road Warriors and the Rock & Rolls in 1985-1986.

No, 6/9/95 was nominated, but 6/3/94 wasn't.

Is there a UFC results site with dates? Or could someone provide me with that info for the nominated matches? Thanks.