MikeCampbell

Honestly Loss, unless you want to include it for the sake of comparison to previous matches between them, I'd leave off the Misawa/Kobashi Triple Crown match from June. It will eat up a lot of space, and they've done far better. Hell, their October tag titles matches leaves it in the dust. The same thing with the July Misawa/Kawada match, their January match leaves that one far behind, unless you'd want to include it as a comparison. As far as recommendations: Everything involving the Shane McMahon/X Pac feud, leading up to 'Mania. The Chyna turn on DX, the St Valentines Day Massacre HHH vs. Chyna tag match, and any other promos and such leading to HHH turning heel with her at 'Mania. I nominated for Will's ECW comp, but I'll throw it out here too, the Dudley Boys pre match antics at Heatwave '99

I have a hard time believing that Vader was taking the title in August. Vader beat Shawn in the six man tag in July, which led to Vader's Title shot. Although not really in the WWF at the time, it's pretty standard booking to have the champion drop the fall in a tag match or non title match, to then set up a title match, which he'd then win to avenge the loss. Example: Kawada beats Misawa in 6/95 tag title match, Misawa beats Kawada in 7/95 Triple Crown match, Ricky Morton pins Flair on TV in tag match, Flair beats Ricky around the loop in title matches during the '86 GAB tour. Not to mention that Mankind was already waiting in the wings to challenge for the title the next month (hence the Septmeber '96 IYH being "Mind Games"). I know that Vader was supposed to take the title in November and Shawn had it changed to Sid (which is why the December IYH was called "It's Time").

Has anyone see the Doug Gilbert shoot interview from Highspots? I've noticed that the shoots with Memphis mainstays seem to be the more entertaining ones, the Brian Christopher, Jamie Dundee, and PG-13 shoots are amongst my favorites.

I loved David Crockett yelling 'NOOOO!" when Slaughter jumped off the cage during the Slaughter/Kernodle vs. Steamboat/Youngblood team.

Another thing I thought was funny, in hindsight. After establishing Siaki's character as the arrogant prick, with all those interviews where he said it was always about Sonny Siaki, etc. His first singles match sees him putting over Slash.

I remember when NJ wanted him to drop the ROH Title to Shinya (not yet Togi) Makabe at a show in LA, but I don't think that was related to him turning down touring there. I could be wrong though.

"If he wanted to" is the key word there. I seem to recall hearing that Joe was offered a spot with NJPW in '03 or '04, when he was still ROH Champion, and turned it down due to the pay.

Speaking of Sports Review Wrestling, does anyone remember the OJ Simpson issue? The feature was some sort of crazy fanfic with various wrestlers and personalities playing the roles of the players in the Simpson trial. I can relate to what Blehschmidt says about feeling like a kid in some respects by reading them. The Apter mags were intrinsic to my childhood, between my father, grandparents, and uncles they were everywhere. I remember thumbing through them before I could even read, just looking at the pictures. To add to your list, John, two other quarterly mags were the Wrestling 83, Wrestling 84, Wrestling 85, etc. that RZombie and I are both big fans of, and there was also "Wrestling Superstars"

Something I just remembered, did anything ever come out of that bizzare angle where Ryan Shamrock was collecting money from random people each week? I can only assume the point of Omori was to help get over the NWA Title. It's funny that NOAH decreed that he not do any jobs. He only went over to the U.S. because he was in Misawa's doghouse, and before he went over, NOAH was jobbing him out to everyone under the sun.

Good call, Loss, that's probably his best moment on commentary, although I do like his sign off from Bash at the Beach when the nWo formed "Hulk Hogan, you can go to hell. Straight to hell." How was Tony in the WWF? All I can recall from him is the 1990 Royal Rumble, and one funny exchange with Jesse after Warrior was eliminated and then ran back into the ring and attacked the heels. Tony: Oh, he's a wild man. Jesse: He's an idiot!

What I'm loving about this whole deal is that friends of mine, in my general age group (mid-late 20's), who have followed the business just as closely as I have are 100% convinced that it's a shoot. I got a text from my high school best friend in all caps saying "PUNK IS SUSPENDED AND OFF TV! WHAT BULLSHIT!"

Did it look to anyone else like Bourne/Cara botched the finish of their match. It sure liked like Sin Cara was doing La Mistica to me.

I know that's where the phrase "Daddy says sell!" originates, but I don't think Buddy was frustrated in other promotions for having to wrestle George Gulas.

I would guess he's referring to Brian Christopher, Jeff Jarrett, or Jamie Dundee.

Jim Ross announced that the WWE is planning on releasing a DVD based on the Montreal Screwjob later this year. Both Shawn and Bret have signed off on participating.

I'll say up front, I'm 99% sure this won't happen. But, given the WWE's disdain for the internet, how great would it be to have them pull a giant work and "release" Punk after he wins and let him work a few indy shots with the belt? Meanwhile, Cena is on RAW cutting promos telling Punk to be a man and come back and defend the title.

So it's come out that the "Power to the People" voting for RAW the other night got screwed up somehow and a few wrong choices were listed as winners. Sin Cara actually got voted to wrestle Bourne, not Mason Ryan. And the stip for Dolph/Kofi was supposed to be no Vickie, not 2/3 falls. I'm not so much surprised it happened. Seriously, besides his mother, who would ever vote to in favor of watching Mason Ryan wrestle at this point? But I'm a bit surprised that it happened to the 'E. This is something that seems taylor made to blow up in TNA's face.

Cornette himself has said that Brian Lee wasn't his ideal choice for top babyface. He wanted Brad Armstrong, but he was in WCW at the time. The Orndorff heel turn is my favorite early SMW angle so far.

The best thing that came out of the DDP turn was the Sting match on Nitro where he won the title, which they negated by the end of the show with Page getting it right back.

The problem I have with the double suplex pin is that it seems like 99 time out of 100 the person doing the suplex seems to be purposely doing a shitty job of the move so that they both wind up on the mat.

The announcers acting like they didn't know anything about the backstage skits was annoying to no end. The worst was when there were like 4 weeks of Torrie Wilson talking to the camera, and not a word about it from Tony, Bobby, or Mike. Then when she shows up with David and is with the nWo, they're all "Hey, it's that girl we've been seeing on TV all month!"

I had a letter printed in the "You Asked Us" column of "The Wrestler" when I was fifteen. I'd asked JJ Dillon why Hall and Giant weren't stripped of the WCW Tag Titles for failure to defend them, when Flair had been stripped of the U.S. Title for that reason (hey, I was still a total mark). "JJ Dillon" replied that he didn't recall the particulars of the Flair situation, but that Scott Hall hadn't exactly been in condition to perform (this was late '98 when he came out on Nitro drunk every week) and it was unfair to the Giant. My favorite of those mags is still the Wrestling 83, Wrestling 84, Wrestling 85, etc. quaterly mags. My uncle had given me a couple of them in the early '90s and I'd gotten a few more back issues of them from the forms in other mags.