Fantastic

Unless you do it another way. Taker comes out, basically heels the crowd by claiming the reason he lost at Wrestlemania was because they weren't behind him or some shit like that (which was kinda the truth, the crowd involvement was timid at best). He could talk about how it was all about Daniel Bryan that night , prompting DB to come out, cut a face promo and then get brutalised by Taker.

yeah seriously that would be the dumbest thing they could possibly do (having him immediately lose the title). I was thinking long term, giving a reason for Brock not to stick around (The Rock made several appearances and did far more PR work than Brock has ever done in this stint with WWE, during his 2013 reign, I doubt Brock is going to do the same) and to have a reason to battle Cesaro at a later date. Sure it would be terrible, but then, it creates the idea that the cash in might have been the only way anybody could ever have beaten Lesnar for the title. And, the fans go home happy, given that in all likelyhood, Brock would be standing tall having utterly beaten Daniel Bryan into oblivion without the cash in. Four years in a row with a heel standing tall at the end of Summerslam?

Yes, for sure. It probably won't happen, but can you imagine Taker making his grand return, only to turn heel and destroy a fan fave like Daniel Bryan? Pretty sure there was talk from the Observer that Taker was hoping to face DB at some point. It might actually work, the idea that the streak ending caused Taker to descend into evil Ministry'esque madness. That sounds horrible, no way Taker works heel if he works at all. Why not? The idea of the streak ever ending sounded horrible to everybody, including myself. If Taker truly wants to come back and wants to work against a top-of-his-game babyface Bryan, the best way to do it would be via a brief heel turn. They could very quickly turn him face again following the match/program. Late 2001 and early 2002 was pretty successful in my opinion. He brutalised Jim Ross, beat the shit out of Maven, destroyed the Hardy's and Lita, and verbally admonished the crowd to choruses of boos.

Yes, for sure. It probably won't happen, but can you imagine Taker making his grand return, only to turn heel and destroy a fan fave like Daniel Bryan? Pretty sure there was talk from the Observer that Taker was hoping to face DB at some point. It might actually work, the idea that the streak ending caused Taker to descend into evil Ministry'esque madness.

If Bryan can return on schedule and doesn't have to forfeit the title, I reckon we're looking at: - Cesaro wins MITB. - Lesnar returns prior to Summerslam, demands a title match since he conquered the streak. - Lesnar beats Bryan at Summerslam to raise the title, Cesaro cashes in and officially turns face, he narrowly defeats a weakened Lesnar to win the title. - Lesnar goes mad on the post Summerslam Raw, demands that as a Heyman guy, Cesaro relenquishes the title to him, Cesaro refuses, Heyman can't do shit so Brock "quits" again. - DB moves onto another feud, WWE gets time to experiment with Cesaro on top, probably goes into feud against Heyman's next guy. At some point following this: - Lesnar returns, has his revenge match against Cesaro - Bryan regains the title, possibly doing a heel turn at some point because WWE will be running Cena, Cesaro, and Reigns all as the top faces.

Undertaker resurfaced at the George Strait finale in Dallas this weekend He looks considerably healthier than he did prior to and during Wrestlemania this year. I think they said in the Observer this week that WWE wanted him to return for Wrestlemania next year and that he usually makes his decision by the fall. Strangely, he might be able to pull off another match.

What in the utter fuck was Keiji Mutoh thinking in 2000 when he was putting over (clean) the likes of Ernest Miller and Tank Abbott in crummy WCW matches?!

Who?

Man, Kawada looked awful in those blue and yellow tights.

That reminds me of something. RVD had quite a bit of heat on him back when he first debuted for WWE in 2001 because he kept busting people open with stiff kicks.

Seems like a whirlwind romance...

Bryan doesn't do it as recklessly or as frequently as Benoit and Race did it though.

Rusev is great! He's got that classic Eastern Bloc weightlifter look going on. If WWE goes to hell for him, I could see him doing really well in NJPW, at least where being booked based on his look is concerned.

Agree about Hansen and Murdoch, both had that roughneck laborer look to them. Also, there's no way I can leave these two out of this thread.

Best: (eg) The guys who looked the part, who personified the "look" that a professional wrestler should have, or looked as tough as they were made out to be Worst (eg) The guys who didn't have any style , the guys who could pass as any guy off the street, or the guys so out of shape you were surprised they weren't the types who gassed climbing up a flight of stairs, let alone wrestled 20+ minute intense matches several times each month. For me, I'm personally a big fan of the physiques that some of the wrestlers in Japan have developed over the years. They maybe don't look as aesthetic, cut and comicbook-like as their American counterparts, but they live up to the image suggested by their style of wrestling (Strong Style, King's Road, etc). For me, there is something that cries "toughness" and "legitimacy" when I look at compact tanks such as Kawada, Sasaki, or Ishii. You don't get that from more cut guys. Obviously, you have people who look like crap in Puro. Tenryu and Taue both spring to mind. Tenryu, despite the fact I love him, looked worse without a shirt on throughout his entire career than Ric Flair did from 2000 onwards! Taue seemingly never bothered to train his upper body for size, perhaps inspired by the Giant Baba look. Over in the States, for me there is no better example of the "WWE look" than the late Ultimate Warrior. As big as a comic book hero and ripped to shreds, with long flowing hair, he personified "Sports Entertainment" and that cartoony era. In terms of a prominent WWE star who never looked the part, I've got to go with Jeff Hardy. You could pretty much mistake him for a regular guy.

Does he believe training Crossfit gives him an advantage in his performance, compared to somebody else on the roster pursuing standard methods?

I don't resent it... Brock's deal apparently pales in comparison to the deal The Rock was on. Notably, Brock doesn't seem to be allowed to do anything outside WWE without their express permission or approval, whereas The Rock was getting paid significantly more than Brock and allowed ample space without any interference from the E to continue to pursue his movie career. The only special privilege that seems to be catered for Brock is his sponsorship logos on his trunks.

Maybe he's a really talented masseur and Vince, Stephanie, or Triple H swear by him?

I'm betting it was on the cards as a strong possibility ahead of this time though. The more that emerges, the more I'm inclined to think that Taker had been talking about this one being his "last match" in the months preceding the event. Every year since the Michaels' matches, he's basically had to take an extended hiatus to undergo surgery, then spend several weeks prior to Wrestlemania getting into ring shape and laying his match out. Last year, he had to step into the ring at a throwaway house show in Waco, Texas just to shake off the ring rust and see if he could make it through the match with Punk. Choosing to stick around for a bit longer, he then got carried away when he chose how to be written off TV for a hiatus and took a risky bump (the Triple Powerbomb through the announce table) that apparently sidelined him for real once again. I believe there was also a report several months back, that when trying to come up with a main event for XXX,they were discussing options such as "Undertaker's retirement match". Whether this is relevant or not, it does suggest the thinking that he was talking about being done after the next match.

In Sheamus' defence, both Cara/Hunico and Yoshi Tatsu come from pretty tough backgrounds. Tatsu was a competitive martial artist in his youth and then went through the NJPW dojo, where learning to kick somebody's ass for real is pretty much a prerequisite for graduating. Hunico was a state champion in amateur wrestling and spent a considerable amount of time wrestling the Mexican indie circuit, where some real horror stories have emerged over the years in terms of working rough. What's Sheamus exactly? A bodybuilder turned professional wrestler with no competitive martial arts or fighting background (unlike what his gimmick suggests). It's exactly the same thing with Batista getting his ass kicked by Booker T. Does anybody really think that a jacked up bodybuilder with negligible real fighting experience (at least not at that point) is going to stand a chance against a guy who was raised in a ghetto, and who would have had to have learned to defend himself from an early age just to survive?

I think Seth Rollins is a dark horse. People already have noted his resemblance physically to the likes of Punk and Jeff Hardy. I reckon if he gained 15-20lbs, toned back on the high flying stuff and worked on his mic skills, he could potentially go further then both Reigns and Ambrose.

Even though they are pushing Roman Reigns incredibly hard, I don't think the majority really give a shit about him. It's more The Shield as a package that draws people, not Reigns. This is probably why they've delayed the dissolution of the group and ran with a face turn. I still think they are going to push Reigns to the moon, or at least attempt to when the groups dissolves. Think about how Reigns has been booked in the past several months: - Sole survivor of his Survivor Series team, eliminated 4 out of the 5 participants of the opposing team. - Went over CM Punk. - Broke the all time Royal Rumble eliminations record in one Rumble by eliminating 12 other men, also the final man eliminated from the match by the winner. - Went over Evolution, got the match winning pinfall on Batista. The guy has still to wrestle any kind of decent singles match, or cut any promo that distinguishes him as a performer. His in ring mannerisms are comparable to the likes of Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg, and there doesn't seem to be a market for that these days.

Ego maybe? I think he sometimes wants to have one more match, but his rationality sets in and stops him. I think if the following conditions were met: - Austin gets himself into good enough physical shape (he may look good, but that's meaningless), - WWE were willing to make a big money offer, - A program with a decent element of creative control, along with Austin basically having the final say on whether he or his opponent goes over, - The right opponent (a top name, and a safe worker) and the guarantee that the match would headline Wrestlemania, Then he would probably do it, with ego being the final decision making catalyst. Just as it was when he decided to return for the match at Wrestlemania XXIX, despite being almost completely knackered, having wrestled sparingly in the past year and needing surgery (pretty much everybody in the main events of that show were working banged up, Angle, Austin, Hogan) at that stage of his career. Regardless, there is absolutely no way Austin will ever work a match against Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is just far too physical, even when he deliberately works light, for somebody of Austin's age and condition to go up against. We saw what happened to Taker despite weeks of rehearsals, Brock toning it way back, and no risky high spots.

Probably Austin/Cena. I often thought that would have been more appropriate than Cena/Rock. Regardless of Cena's variable in ring ability, the guy has phenomenal skills with the microphone, it's always the material that lets him down, never his delivery or presence. When Brian Gerwitz style material is brushed aside and Cena is allowed to work with top material or go into business for himself, he's incredible. Pair him with the greatness of Austin, and you've got a dream match with a dream build.

Yes, it really happened... It isn't really that astonishing to me, I mean sure from the POV that But, Gedo and Jado have been making a real concerted effort to raise the profile of NJPW's Gaijin talent in the past couple of years, and to introduce wrestling from around the world into the Japanese market.