Scarlet-Left

So, candidates for the run-in extravaganza: Vince McMahon Pat Patterson & Gerald Brisco Shawn Michaels Kevin Nash Scott Hall Billy Gunn Road Dogg Chyna X-Pac Hulk Hogan Steve Austin The Rock Mick Foley Linda McMahon Sting Seth Rollins Some of them (like Gunn, Hogan and Chyna) are most likely no-goes but some others (like the Rock) are people I'd be surprised to not see doing a run-in of some kind. What else is the Rock really there for? Anyone want to give me some odds?

That's got to be Flair..?

This intrigues me. What's happened?

I lack the restraint/objectivity to be analytical about wrestling. I love wrestling, and I can be critical of it, but, when it comes to logically determining who is better than who, that all goes right out of the window. Basically, for lack of a better term, I'm a mark. I'm a massive mark. I get sucked in and I can't rid myself of the story of wrestling. That's why I took Scott Hall off of my list. Whilst I, legitimately (?), thought he was good enough to make my ballot, I can't shake off the fact that I'm such a massive mark for Bret Hart; no Kliq on my list, no Hogan. I look at my list and see Zybszko so many places down from Lex Luger and I just have this tremendous feeling of it being so wrong but I can't change that because it'd unravel the web of lies my list is based on.

I concur (principally, because that's my list). I predict, nay hope, that my list is the weirdest. So, El Dragon, I'll give you a peek, and see if it makes you feel better about yourself: 33. Mariko Yoshida 41. Tommy Rich 49. Michael Hayes 58. Arisa Nakajima

I'm still sore about not being able to rank Lance Storm. There're so many guys on my list who I'm souring on, specifically because they're so much worse than him. Like, I shouldn't be looking at my list and be thinking any of the names are "bad workers" but I am doing now. But, whatever, it's my own fault, and I've got to live with it. I am really glad, however, that I had the presence of mind to nominate Kana. It's one thing to lose your number seventeen, it's another thing to lose someone from your top ten. Yes, my list looks weird and I should have put more thought in to it. I should have, also, made sure everyone in my pool of potentials got nominated. Alas, I'll do better in ten years' time.

I'm not saying he is, I'm just asking from a business stand-point, does WWE have anything to lose by going with him over Reigns? Does Reigns have a significant fan-base that would stop buying merchandise, stop attending live events or stop tuning in if he were turned heel or sent a few spots down the card? If not, wouldn't it be better to have a guy, in Dean, who wouldn't have to struggle against such a negative backlash. When I watch Reigns getting booed (whilst he's going through his babyface spots that are supposed to imply he's being fired up by the crowd or the atmosphere) I just come away feeling dejected. Even in terms of the cartoon logic of the WWE, why wouldn't Roman just tell these fans to shut their gobs (for cheering pieces of work like Triple H)?

Dubya See Dubya. I want you to go for at least ten years with it.

I remember watching a clip from an Ed Leslie shoot where he blamed Patterson for the Barber gimmick (saying it was a sick joke, or something) and stopping him from getting over. Is there any truth to that? It sounds like shit to me, since Leslie had a few stinky gimmicks even before he became the Barber, if I recall correctly. Also, there are two years of Starrcade I refuse to ever watch: 1994 and 1997. As for the latter I just don't want to subject myself to the finish (which, apparently, made Sting and Bret, my all-time favourite, look like chumps). But it's the former that I refuse to watch out of principle.

Could they not replace him with Dean? Is Roman such a hit with the casual fans that it'd hurt them to trade places?

There're some things you're, kind of, stuck with. For example, Rey Mysterio needs a big push, regardless, and Edge is, definitely, someone you can't drop the ball on. So, pure fantasy (and with the benefit of hindsight), here's some goofy booking from yours truly: Orton wins the Rumble, last eliminating Rey (who still sets a record for most time spent). Cena can beat Edge, but the two should trade the belt back and forth for a while. Angle should, obviously, catch Henry. Start up a programme between Undertaker and Benoit; with Taker heeling it up big time. It should just start with a match on free TV that goes off the rails and devolves into a brawl. No Way Out comes along and I'd have an Elimination Chamber match for the WHC (Mysterio, Taker, Angle, Benoit, Henry, Booker T), with Mysterio going over. The WWE Championship match, earlier (later?) would be Cena v Edge v Hunter, with Edge snatching it. So, in the build-up to Wrestlemania 22, Taker agrees to face Benoit but only if he agrees to put his career on the line, as well as his strap (US title). The main feud on Raw would be between Hunter and Cena (with Edge being an instigator of the highest order), fighting over who gets to face Edge; with Cena getting the best of two or three matches. The WHC picture looks a little cluttered (with Angle having a serious case, and Henry having a smaller one), so the GM books a three-way (Angle v Orton v the Champ) and a singles match between Mysterio and Henry for the belt on Smackdown (basically build it up as David versus Goliath), which puts Mysterio over. Mickie v Trish is fine, I wouldn't change anything. I don't care about the tag belts, none of the teams excite (so, I guess I'd just keep things the same). The cruiser-weights don't need much storyline guidance, just keeping pushing Helms but keep things moving at a fast-paced with multi-man matches and frequent title defences. So, Wrestlemania comes and goes, with Taker leaving as US champ (give Benoit financial security for life, the best brain doctor money can buy and a backstage role as a trainer or something), Orton catches Mysterio and Angle turns (stays?) face by saving Rey from a post-match beat-down. Cena catches Edge, Flair gets the IC belt (why not?) and James takes the women's belt. Going forward with Flair, I'd do the retirement feud but with him saying that, as long as he can stay undefeated, he'll never retire (have him go over Shawn at SummerSlam, with shenanigans, but eventually be knocked down by Shelton as part of a 2007 mega-push). On RAW, the next night, Vince addresses the entire roster. Basically, the brand-split will end at Survivor Series, with both tag belts and both world titles being unified. He wants to downsize the roster so everyone should consider themselves to being fighting to impress him and keep their jobs. He also says that, the night after Survivor Series, he'll announce all of the cuts (the only wrestlers who'll be safe will be title holders and the reigning King of the Ring). On the following Smackdown, Taker vacates his US title (saying that it's beneath him) and the GM books a tournament to replace him (this'll give some mid-carders and the main event guys I'm not using something to do; it doesn't matter who gets the strap). KOTR comes and goes and I'd still give it to Booker T. Backlash flips the WWE title back to Edge and Orton retains his WHC at Judgement Day (against the Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio). ECW ONS still goes ahead, with RVD nabbing Edge's title and kicking off "ECW On Sci-Fi" which is, in my conception, a soft brand (basically, a place for guys from the main roster to settle grudges in hardcore matches, a place for some ECW alumni to mix it up with WWE guys on a lighter schedule and a transitional stage for developmental talent). Vengeance is headlined by RVD v Edge v Cena, with Edge going over. The GAB ends with Mysterio (who's beaten Angle and Taker in singles contests on free TV) pinning Orton. SummerSlam comes, minus Hogan, and both belts are contested in four-ways. Edge retains against, Cena, Big Show and Hunter, and Mysterio retains against Orton, Angle and Taker. RVD beats Sabu for the Hardcore title (which is the only belt on ECW). Flair goes over Shawn, playing dirty the whole way through. DX reunite on Monday Night Raw but as a standard tag team (no comedy segments, no burial of young talent) and quickly capture the tag belts on their brand. Unforgiven comes and goes, with Edge retaining in a ladder match against Cena, and Flair going over Jeff Hardy (playing dirty, again). No Mercy puts Mysterio up against Batista, with the latter going over (as a monster heel). Whether he's been carrying it since the tournament or not, Regal retains the US title against Kennedy. The tag straps can go to London and Kendrick, and Taker can maul some dude. There is no Cyber Sunday, as Survivor Series is treated like a big deal. A lot of the matches heading into it get intense, go long, or devolve into brawls as wrestlers struggle to insert themselves into their nearest title picture. On the day, we have a four-way to unify the world title; it's Edge v Cena v Taker v Batista. Undertaker goes over. The tag belts are unified by London and Kendrick, in a huge upset, over DX (a guy can dream). The US title stays on Regal, I'd push the button on Shelton Benjamin (have him take the IC strap and "retire" Flair). Helms gets (or retains) the Cruiser-weight title. RVD retains his belt and Lita steals the Women's. And that's that, it's (obviously) over-indulgent and not thought-out too well, but there you go.

Forgive my ignorance, I've only listened to the first half of your list. Not that I'm insinuating you had Jeff Jarrett in your top fifty.

Once (if?) the lists go public, there'll be a few more for you. For example, I have Jeff Jarrett three places above Bruno Sammartino. Edit: Oh, and Terry Taylor over forty places above both of them.

I've just submitted my ballot. I've got a dissertation to be working on, so I knew I had to get this out of the way. It looks a little goofy, to be honest and that's a result of two things; the fact that my number one ranking criterion was gut feeling and the fact that I have next to no experience with Japanese wrestling (outside of Joshi). I took some time out to see if I could watch enough matches to justify putting at least a few guys on there (Jun Akiyama, Tarzan Goto and Kazuchika Okada) but there are a few glaring omissions (Mitsuharu Misawa, Jumbo Tsuruta and Hiroshi Tanahashi). Being a fan of modern Joshi, I spent far more time on 80s Joshi (which was a blind-spot for me, going in). Ultimately, it is what it is and I had fun doing it. Here's a taste: 25. Steve Keirn 50. Megumi Kudo 75. Mayumi Ozaki 100. Billy Robinson

Not exactly. I had Storm at 17, but Billy Robinson was just floating in the ether as an "off the list" guy. Bare in mind, I can count on one hand the number of Robinson's matches I've seen.

Lance Storm. Oh my god, I hate myself. I'm submitting my ballot and I've only just realised. That's number seventeen gone, and Billy Robinson makes his way onto my ballot, at the coveted number one hundred spot.

Harry Smith, Sara Del Ray, Shelton Benjamin and Madusa Micelli. They were all people I just assumed would be nominated. That's a bummer but I've only got myself to blame.

I learned that I'm a simple man with simple tastes.

This is, actually, harder for me than it might first appear. I don't care for the Attitude Era at all, and I adore late eighties WCW but... I don't think I can, in good conscience, say that I'd prefer a world without Wrestlemania 13. I love Bret Hart too much. With hesitation... after 1996. No! No, I take it back!

WCW - 1989, if I had to guess. My list is a little strange, though, being made up of eighties WCW/JCP guys and 90s WWF guys and padded out with modern Joshi and the odd TNA guy.

1. Ric Flair 2. Jumbo Tsuruta 3. Jerry Lawler 4. Stan Hansen 5. Bret Hart 6. Mitsuharu Misawa 7. Bryan Danielson 8. Nick Bockwinkel 9. Steve Austin 10. Ricky Steamboat 37. Ted DiBiase

It's the disconnect, I think, between the commentators talking about him as a home-town hero (saying that his "friends and family" are there live) and him then being introduced as residing in Florida. It seems like the kind of thing a heel would do.

I'm watching Shimmer 70 & 71 over the week, so some people may jump onto my list (potentially). Is there anyone I should pay close attention to?

Is the Edge & Christian show any good? I really like both of those guys, but it didn't look funny from the adverts (especially when there were other people involved). Also, since they weren't doing anything physical, why couldn't the New Day have taken the Titans' spot in the six man? It seems like the crowd would've cared a lot more, even if they knew it wasn't really going anywhere. Then again, I'm assuming the Titans aren't going anywhere. Is Ryback versus Wyatt really on the cards for Mania? Also, if those guys are Titans, which one's Cronus? Which one eats babies? It seems to me like this card was thrown together at the last second. I thought someone said that WWE wanted the event to be a big deal. If that's the case, then why did it feel like a b-show? The more I mull it over in my mind, the worse it gets.

My idea would be to make it like a proper award show with multiple candidates. Have guys with actual legacies of excellence (and tangible connections to World Wide) like Bruno and Patterson be on the cards before Vince comes out and reveals that he's made an executive decision, or whatever, to award it to Hunter. That could get some heat... maybe. Obviously, crashing an award show is something Dean Ambrose would do, rather than Roman "Shaka Brah" Reigns, but hey-hum. If the award was supposed to be legitimate, I'd give to Undertaker; since it's an excuse to get him on television for his stare-down with Cena/Styles/Kalisto.