sek69

Basically they're looking for Sapphire, 2005/6 version.

Hogan was great at making the guys he faced look like monsters, but he really wasn't a great babyface per se. Jesse used to call him on it all the time, how he'd be using heel tactics and the face announcer would accept it because he's the great Hulk Hogan.

I don't know why, but it seems like no one who's started wrestling in the last 10 years can cut a promo with any emotion. I don't know if Hayes had any legit emotion with the Flair situation (I'm guessing not unless the drinking part hit home), but he sure had me sold with that promo. Isn't that the #1 rule of cutting a promo? You gotta believe what you're saying or no one else will.

I've been impressed with how they've been able to resist the temptation to immediately compete with WWE. You know they're itching to do it, but they've put more of an effort with building their own brand rather than doing the "OMG WWE SUX~!" bit for the whole show like ECW was prone to doing.

Kerry Von Erich from about 84 to 87 was right up there with Ricky Morton in terms of working babyface. I can't even imagine what it must have been like being in the Sportatorium for his matches. Sometimes even when you watch them on tape/DVD the shrieking girls make your ears hurt. It probably helped that some of the best heels in wrestling history passed through Texas at that time, but I don't think I've ever seen the crowd rally behind someone on a consistent basis like that since.

Didn't some of the hosses who ended up working in Japan make inquiries about TNA first? I know I remember reading about someone released from WWE that TNA said "no thanks" to, but I can't put a name to the story. I'm guessing that the HUGE~! announcement is something about getting more TV time, since they really don't need to sign any more talent. They need the TV time to get the guys they have now over.

It was funny that I was just watching World Class tapes and made a post about how good the Freebirds were at drawing heat, then Hayes comes out and proves my point. WWE should never have a wrestler who can't cut a promo as long as he's around.

It's a chicken and egg thing, is he voicing the opinon of the non-fan, or do non-fans have their opinons because of assholes like Rome?

Of all the media chicks WWE could have chosen to suck up to, it's funny they picked the one who sounds like Kermit the Frog with a chest cold.

They didn't name a new one, you'll have to TUNE IN NEXT WEEK TO FIND OUT~! Tony>

HHH and Steph had a "moment" before the segment where Eric got fired, that's what usually passes for forshadowing in wrestling.

Just had to start this so I could say "HOLY SHIT~!" to the Edge/Sarge/Hayes segment. That was probably the best series of promos done on WWE TV all year. Makes me wonder why they don't have some of thes kids who can't talk go to Hayes to learn how shit's done.

Must be a real boost to morale when someone who's never been anything but "WOO I LUVZ WWE~!" gets shown the door.

It just doesn't pay to win a WWE contest. Winning = GONE~! within a year or two.

David Manning was the ref for a lot of the matches, he's the one I was talking about. He co hosted that DVD Kevin made, and he looks different without his giant 80s white guy 'fro.

You know, people have asked me why I've never tried to get into the wrestling business in some capacity since I've had a passion for it for so long. This story's the reason why.

That's seriously one of the saddest things I've ever read. WTF was Flair thinking anyway? I could see him living large like this back in 1986, but he went thru a divorce already and he's getting older, why is he still blowing money like he's still got a fat Starrcade paycheck waiting for him?

You know what's messed up? If you watch the shows back when it was still an NWA territory, you know who shows up? Jake F'N Roberts. Of all people to still be alive...

You know when you have your first real girlfriend, and you think it's going to last forever? Invariably life gets in the way, and you end up drifting apart for whatever reason. You move on, find love elswhere. Maybe even get married. Then, years later, you come across a photo or some keepsake that reminds you of that first love and the memories come back. That's how I felt watching the WCCW TV comps I got from KZ this past week. WCCW was the very first wrestling promotion I ever watched thanks to the 4 pm airings on ESPN every weekday. Everything was just like I remembered it, that rolling drumbeat themesong, the somewhat-dumpy looking Sportatorium with the red hot crowd inexplicably only being held back from the ring with what looks like your Gramma's clothesline, Marc Lowrance running for his life as the main event starts while he's in the middle of his ring introductions. It's amazing how well everything holds up all these years later, the crowds they drew were so hot you still get sucked into every feud and angle even though you know how they turn out. And come on, who still doesn't mark out to "Badstreet USA"? It's amazing that SK used to use the Hayes/Garvin Freebirds as his measuring stick of suck, when all they did was try to do what the 'Birds always did: They used to just stand there and get insane heat from the crowd. For some reason, despite early 90s WCW still being almost exclusively Southern, the act didn't translate to a national level. It's still a sight to see the Texas crowd go nuts just at the mere sight of the Freebirds just because they dared to challenge their local heroes. It is interesting watching my first wrestling experience with smarked-out eyes now. It's hard to watch a Kerry match and not try to guess if it's before or after his foot was amputated or try to see if he's visibly intoxicated. It's kind of funny seeing Gordy execute the Asian Spike (which was pushed like it was an almost fatal move) and see how it's clearly just a run of the mill nerve type hold. It's also kind of creepy at times watching and realizing everyone in the match currently playing is dead except for the referee. I've moved on to other loves in wrestling, like ROH or TNA, but it was a nice trip down memory lane watching these discs and going back to that time where I'd rush home from school just in time to turn the TV on during the opening credits of WCCW. *bum-dadda-bum-dadda-bum-DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN-DUN*

I think ROH takes a beating because they have a vocal segment of fans who hype everything the company does as the BEST EVAH~! which starts to create a "boy who cried wolf" sitiuation where even when they do have a top quality match, people get skeptical because every match was said to be top quality. Still, I've enjoyed what I've seen of the in-ring product so far. Not everything has been gold, but ROH's crap is at least better than WWE's crap if that makes any sense.

My opinion of Waltman has gone up scores after reading this.

I have to admit, the crowd wasn't overly smarky for the Joe/Kobashi match.

I guess we could safely assume that top guy wasn't HHH.

TNA's my favorite promotion right now, it's not perfect but it's pretty much exactly where it needs to be at the moment. They've been smart to resist the "OMG GOTTA BEAT VINCE~!" mindset that drives so many would-be challengers out of business. They're doing their own thing and just letting their product do the shit-talking for them. I like what I've seen from ROH for the most part, but I definately agree that you don't have to be a hoss mark to notice they really need to stop having guys who look like the before pics in weightlifting mags in the undercard. ROH has too many guys who look like they should be bagging groceries in the opening matches. The too-cool-for-school attitude the crowds have irks me too. I like when fans get into the action but like savagerulz said it's like the fans are trying to get themselves over more than the wrestlers. As far as WWE goes, Joey Styles has made RAW about a zillion times easier to watch now. I always was a mark for him just because he reminds me of Gordon Solie in how when he called a match he knew the histories of everyone involved and the name of any move that could possibly be busted out in a match. Little stuff like him mentioning HHH's quad injury when his opponent was working the leg is something you haven't heard in WWF/E commentary since Gorilla and Jesse called the action. You may have noticed I have yet to mention the WWE in ring product so far, and for good reason. While there's guys who I dig on both brands, I'm afraid to get emotionally invested in anyone on the roster without knowing they've passed the msyterious approval test and won't just get cut off at the knees and released.