C.S.

The airbrushed singlets, while mostly unmemorable (IMO), at least worked for RVD's character. They don't work for Ryback at all.

I watched the WWE Countdown episode about best ring attire. It was nothing substantial, of course, but it was good for what it was. Dusty Rhodes being on the list was a real head-scratcher. And while I don't entirely agree, I can understand why Undertaker made it. As a kid, I remember thinking that Razor Ramon's ring gear, while never fancy, always looked sharp and colorful (not to be confused with Scott Hall's nWo gear, which was cheap looking and horrendous). Alas, he didn't make the list. I'm a bit surprised RVD didn't make the list, but after thinking about it, I can't remember one thing he wore. Yeah, he had the cool "airbrushed" look, but he didn't make it memorable the way Rick Rude (who is on the list) did. No Sting either, but like Rude/RVD, that's understandable because Warrior did make the list. I would've put Great Muta in my top ten, but I can understand why that didn't happen on a show like this. On a side note, Adam Rose came across really well here as one of the "talking heads" - at least IMO. It makes me think that the WWE is missing whatever it needs to tap into to make that character work. Wouldn't be the first time! Weird seeing people like Naomi, Cameron, and Rosa Mendes commenting on '80s stars though. Brooklyn Brawler and Terry Taylor being asked to comment on this topic must've been a rib on both of them. Ditto for One Man Gang and Hillbilly Jim. WTF? Funny little segment with Michael Hayes trying to defend the fanny pack look. And to think, he was once the coolest of the cool. The former Shield also had talking head segments, and it made me realize how fucking bland all of their gear is. They don't necessarily need better gear to break out into the next level, but it sure as hell wouldn't hurt.

I noticed that some sort of theme music documentary was added to the Beyond the Ring section (I'm not sure when, but it must have been very recently). I don't recall anything like that ever being released on DVD/Blu-Ray. If so, it would be the first original content added to Beyond the Ring (everything else there is taken from old DVDs/Blus).

That is absolutely fucking insane. What the hell?

Wasn't that just because the blood and guts ECW crowd shit all over it? That's what I remember, but I haven't seen the match either, and it's been 20 years, so I could be wrong. Yeah, ECW fans eventually showed appreciation for stuff like Malenko/Guerrero, but I believe this match pre-dated that series. On that note, a couple of ROH fans I know were pretty adamant about how boring the Bryan Danielson 60-minute (or 90-minute or whatever it was) match was a colossal bore. I didn't see that match either.

Another one: The New Foundation. Remember that Owen/Anvil team? Okay, "New" anything generally doesn't work, but I thought they were AWESOME together. It didn't last though - I think because Anvil quit/got fired/whatever it was. Their replacement was the lesser High Energy team of Owen and Koko. That sucked. They had no chemistry, and I remember Owen saying they didn't even like each other behind the scenes. I also kinda dug The New Blackjacks (Windham and Bradshaw), but I never expected them to get a major push, so I wasn't necessarily disappointed when they didn't.

I don't know if I agree with Pillman. He did very well for himself in WCW and would've been a major player in the WWF if not for injury. Even if he had fully healed, he died before anything could really happen. Ditto for Owen. I hesitate to label them "disappointments" when death put a stop to their natural career trajectory. The only disappointment here is that they unfortunately died before their time.

Explains why Styles kept repeating "video on demand" like a mantra during the ECW Exposed special. In those bits, he appeared to be a huge Network shill - or at least a parody of one (which may have been the point). Speaking of which, was anyone else disappointed by Exposed? It had some fun banter between Heyman and Styles, but most of it seemed forced. It was also too much of a clip show for people who knew nothing about ECW. I'm not sure longtime fans would've learned anything new. I liked that they made fun of WWE in various "subtle" ways - particularly the "comedy." The thing is, ECW's comedy - when taken out of context and shown in clip form, as it was here - didn't come across as funny either. Some of the omissions were surprising too - no big segments dedicated to RVD, Raven, Dreamer, etc. Granted, they didn't have much time, but still. Also, did anyone else notice that the Dudley fact was shown twice, and was the only fact used? I was expecting Styles and Heyman to go off when it appeared the second time, but I am guessing they had no idea.

Whoever said Muhammad Hassan, good call. The WWE really botched that one - turning a potentially sophisticated storyline into yet another simple-minded foreign heel angle - but when the mindset is "it's just rasslin'," that's what happens. Another one: Matt Hardy. He was on fire with his "Matt Hardy: Version 1" character, his MFer (Mattitude Follower), Matt Facts, etc. For a time, he was a far more interesting character and wrestler than his brother Jeff ever was. Matt was one of the more creative wrestlers ever, really. Unfortunately, he was a political causality of the Edge/Lita bullshit. Edge's career soared, but Matt and Lita were never the same after that. I'll add Jeff Jarrett and Brian Christopher: Both of them were played up as big deals in PWI. They were the "indie darlings" of their day. Christopher was a fun tag wrestler in WWF, but never the major heel the mags led us to believe he could be. Most of Jarrett's time in both the WWF and WCW was a disappointment, but I personally thought he was really on fire during that short period where Debra managed him in the WWF, Owen was his tag team partner, and after that when he was playing a chauvinistic asshole in that feud against Chyna. (It was certainly Chyna's best feud!) His heel character was at its apex then, and he was one of the highlights of the show IMO. He flat out didn't work when he was pushed down everyone's throats as a WCW main eventer who had "stroke" with the "powers that be" and all of that other nonsense. But he didn't really come in with his chauvinistic WWF character either, which was a huge mistake. Instead, he morphed into something a lot blander while being pushed a lot harder. It was a recipe for disaster.

About time! Hope this is a universal upgrade across all apps and platforms.

Marty Jannetty and Bam Bam are the obvious answers, and they've been mentioned several times already. Yes, they're disappointing, because both of them had the talent to go much further than they did. I can understand the argument that Bam Bam doesn't belong here, but Jannetty definitely does. His singles career paled in comparison to Michaels', and Michaels wasn't that much better (if he was better at all). I also agree with Max Payne. WWF killed his career with that Man Mountain Rock crap. No way could something so stupid get over. In fairness, Max Payne was a dumb name too, but that character and gimmick somehow worked anyway. Some additions to the thread: Ludvig Borga: Beat Tatanka's undefeated streak, and didn't he leave the WWF with his own undefeated record still intact? Lasted less than a year, unfortunately. Nathan Jones: He was shit in the ring, but his vignettes were incredible - some of the best the WWE has ever produced. Sean O'Haire: But I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know! LOD and Steiner Bros. in the WWF: Afterthoughts and footnotes at best. Were they always overrated? DDP in the WWF: Just brutal. So much money thrown down the fucking drain during the botched "Invasion." Carlito: Seemed like he could be the next big thing, but that didn't last long. Lex Luger: Underrated in retrospect. Never quite got the run expected of him. Sting: Never recovered after Starrcade '97, and was always slightly disappointing before that. Never truly "the man." I could go on and on, but that's a good start.

Before this board, I thought I was the only one who liked Henry...

I had the opposite reaction. Thought it was slow, sluggish, and dull. The final few minutes were good though. Bad crowd didn't help. Regardless, all that matters is the finish - Rusev as U.S. Champ is a good thing. Can't wait to see where that goes. I hope Sheamus turns heel ASAP because he and Orton were in competition for stalest person on the roster. Cole's commentary at the end was surprisingly fantastic: (Paraphrased) "The U.S. Title was first held by Hall of Famer Harley Race and ten other WWE Hall of Famers. Now it's in the hands of Russia. In the hands of Rusev." Simple but effective!

THIS is a great idea, and something the Network should do A LOT more of. https://twitter.com/WWENetwork/status/529406014941323264 I hope Rusev wins!!! RUSEV CRUSH!

IMO, people like Sandman, Nailz, Valiant, etc. should be disqualified from this list because they had decent characters and/or charisma...they had something (and one could argue more than just one something for a few of these). Being a good all-around pro wrestler means more than just being good in the ring. I'd personally disqualify Steve McMichael too because I thought he played his character well, even if his ring work was shit. I'll zero in on Nailz because he's likely the most controversial of the names I listed. His character was intense...scary as hell. He played it well. Could one argue that he fell into a hot angle? Sure, but he delivered, at least in terms of mic work and presence. His attack on Boss Man was brutal as hell, and he looked like every bit the escaped convict badass he was supposed to portray. Look at how much less effective Crush was when cast in a similar role a few years later. (Obviously Crush was miles ahead of Nailz in every other way.)

It's free this month. There's literally no reason not to sign up again. You can always cancel before Dec. 1st.

Agreed. Even J.R. always talks about watching it on the iPad, and what a "unique" experience that is - as if he doesn't even realize there are ways to watch it on a TV! I mean, if even J.R. is in the dark, wow. Yeah, I get that he's old, but still. ___ BTW, did anyone else sign back up for the Network today? How did it go? Any issues? I did it in the early afternoon, and it was a breeze. No hiccups like the launch. And after I signed up, I was able to get right back into the Roku channel without doing anything special (no password, code, etc. needed - it gave me immediate access again). Haven't tried it on my phone yet, but I assume the same will be true there too. I see a pending charge for $9.99, but I remember that being the case last time around too, and I didn't get charged until I was supposed to. Hopefully that's the case this time as well. My account page on the WWE Network site says I won't be billed until December 1st.

Smart move dropping the stupid six-month committment and giving away Survivor Series for free (a show I am interested in, at least for the traditional SS match). Yeah, I think they're getting me back a few months early. Well-played, WWE!

Yep. I caught that after I had written my giant post. Serves me for right for jumping in right before bed.

For whatever it's worth, I thought SummerSlam 2013 sucked. EDIT: I'm exhausted and about to comment on SummerSlam 2014. Yeah, I read 2013 as 2014, even though I typed 2013. Sorry. The Cena/Brock main event is the most overrated piece of shit I've seen in years. Yeah, it was novel for Cena to get his ass kicked so thoroughly - that was definitely something new - but new doesn't always equal good. I was bored for most of the match. Eighteen German suplexes, etc. - GTFO with that garbage. Yes, I understand and appreciate the story it was trying to tell, but that doesn't mean I had fun watching it. Reigns/Orton was also extremely dull to me. I sympathize with what Orton had to do - and with no appreciation from anyone whatsoever - but that doesn't change the fact that they were rushing Reigns's push long before he was ready. Then again, I'm the guy who defended the first Cena/Wyatt match. It wasn't a classic in the traditional sense or a "great wrestling match," but it was different, creative, and - unlike Cena/Brock - never boring. I also thought Sheamus/Cesaro at the following PPV sucked. At the time, I said it damn near killed the Cesaro Swing as a big move. Considering that he hardly ever uses it anymore, I was right. There was some debate and pushback, but it was all pretty friendly. People here, at least in my experience, seem to be okay with disagreements (unless it's about Molly Ringwald or Marlon Brando...then watch out! LOL.)

I didn't see the show, so take that into account, but booking matters! - Cesaro/Ziggler ending in two straight falls sounds monumentally disappointing. The match might have been great - I don't know - but I would've been pissed with the way it was booked. - Cena vs. Orton for the 1000th time, no matter how good or bad, is not what anyone wants anymore. But at least it wasn't the main event. - The main event ending in a "fuck finish" (as someone here called it) is absolutely terrible. It's one of the hottest feuds of the year, and instead of being concluded properly, all it did was set up another feud? Ugh. Unless the plan is for Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns to headline WM (one can hope), this made very little sense to me. Booking matters. Endings matter. The little things matter.

I wouldn't know for sure, but if you include the standard black nWo shirt, that's no doubt true. Either that or the original Austin 3:16 have to be the two best-selling pieces of wrestling merchandise ever. That, plus the nWo and Outsiders had a several-year headstart on Goldberg and were around longer, so it's likely true. If Nash was using that as an example of how he's a "bigger draw" than Goldberg though, then he's full of shit. (Not sure if he's saying that though...where did this data come from?)

Aren't the "Tributes" books just edited versions of the obits published in the Observer? Maybe a one-month subscription to the Observer site might be the better option, assuming the JYD issue is online. (Anyone know?) One thing to be aware of though: the newsletters are probably much messier grammatically than the books.

Not sure this is worth a separate thread, so I'll post it here: I've been reading through the new book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (by Cary Elwes, with Joe Layden). In addition to the expected - but still great - stories about Andre's drinking, health, etc., there's also an interesting tidbit about the WrestleMania 3 Silverdome attendance record. The WWE has always claimed over 93,000, and Meltzer has constantly refuted that over the years with a lower number (I can't remember what now). In the book, Cary Elwes quotes "The Princess Bride's" producer, Andy Scheinman, who was told at the time that the number was 78,000. Thought that was interesting. Granted, it could be a case of the guy misremembering the number he heard 25 years ago, but that seems somewhat unlikely to me. The co-author/ghostwriter is Joe Layden, who also co/ghost wrote The Rock Says. I wonder if he pushed for more Andre/wrestling-related content. I haven't finished the book yet, but it's been great so far. I'm not sure I'd recommend it if you're only looking for Andre/wrestling tidbits, but if you have an interest in that and the movie, I'd say it's well worth buying. http://books.simonandschuster.com/As-You-Wish/Cary-Elwes/9781476764023

That's completely untrue. Jim drinks Sprite! LOL. I almost spit my own drink out. Well played, sir. Well played.