2016 WWE Hall of Fame

[cm funk]

Yes, HBK was involved in the Sting match. I thought it was a cool tip of the hat to the 90's dream match that never occurred. It was even on the cover of PWI in one of those computer tournament issues back in the day!

 

I know this board isn't the biggest collection of Sting or HBK fans.......but for kids my age.....because the two had never really crossed paths and were two of the best in the world for different reasons......it was a dream match.......and it's a shame it never happened

 

I thing this whole "Austin and HBK won't be there because creative....." is smokescreen. Because WWE likes surprises and everyone is expecting them to be there given that it's Dallas, Texas. So advertising them ahead of time would ruin the surprise and the big surprise pop

 

If this is the case......kind of hard to argue with their logic when they're setting attendance and gate records, Mania weekend is bigger than ever, and cities have to bid to host the event. Those cameos and surprises and nostalgia pops and etc. are a big reason for this. I know that's not a popular opinion on this board, but it's the truth

[Slasher]

Well this was one of the most injury ravaged Manias of all time with lots of guys out. Don't you think advertising more guys being there would have been the better move? I am not sure people should just assume because its in Jerryworld and that it involves a batshit main event (mean that in a good way) like Shane/Taker that people will be hyped. This board is not indicative of the public interest as a whole but I think there is a bit of something in people here talking about NXT as the real show and not realizing tonight was the go home show for freakin' Wrestlemania.

[cm funk]

Well, I honestly anyone on this board wouldn't know that WM is on Sunday. If you're any kind of rasslin fan you'd at least know about one of the dozens of indy shows on the weekend, or WaleMania.......or the HOF. I find it hard to believe on a hardcore board like this.......you don't need to be a religious WWE fan to know this

 

And, if like you say......NXT is the "real show".......did they forget there's a huge NXT show on Friday? Are they puro fans? And they forgot Nakamura's debut?

 

Sorry, I don't buy it. This is generally a board that's slanted against WWE......but there's a ton of shit that goes on WM weekend and it's basically become the holiday weekend for rasslin fans. Anybody who wouldn't know that.......I have to ? what they're even doing on a board like this

[Slasher]

I agree with that. I am a guy who is invested in the modern product and I care about what they do on the main roster more than anything else really but I also think ever since around 2013 or so when NXT started rising and when Daniel Bryan was picked by the fans to be their appointed star there has been more of a pushback on the company to start catering more to them and stop forcing their chosen ones on us. I think it has created a scenario where it really is the WWE vs a growing portion of the audience and part of that audience is reflected here in people unhappy with the "same old shit" and resent being forcefed people. I do give this board credit in understanding there are values in the guys being rejected at large like Roman Reigns but it feels like he still isn't the preferred pick...at least not how he is currently presented. So Mania is something that people are kind of trying to reject and make remarks about NXT being better and how stupid they are pushing Shane vs Taker the way they are and rejecting Triple H vs Roman Reigns either because they don't want to see Triple H book himself into the position he has been or because they don't want to see Roman Reigns in that spot. So just expecting people to anticipate surprises like Austin and Shawn after possibly being the ones to leak that they turned down offers in midst of all the injuries stripping the show bare seems kinda highly stupid and counterproductive IMO.

[Johnny Sorrow]

 

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/710952017213181953

 

This is very silly

 

I'll eat my hat if the "big plans" with New Day involve HH. No way, no how......that's not happening

 

 

Oh, Bro, of course it wasn't. It's totally going to be the Rock, like you said.

 

Taking a cryptic Dave quote, making up a story based on it, and THEN reporting that the made up thing you created isn't going to happen and calling it news? Way to go Edward R. Zero.

[Judy Bagwell]

Sting had two good opponents in his career

Flair and Vader, could Michaels have been the third? short answer no

the two would have had zero chemistry and it would have ended up a Shawn bumpathon

Crow Sting was cool pity he didnt have a single 4 star match in the gimmick

[Slasher]

He has never really been a workrate kinda guy unless he just clicked with his opponents...like with Vader, Flair and Foley. But then when he started the Crow gimmick he went a year without wrestling at all and when he did start wrestling again they were with such ring luminaries as Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. Getting older and kinda sliding by with a limited moveset that was reliant on him playing to crowds more instead of focusing on the ringwork. I don't know if Shawn would have given him a good match in the late 90s because at the time he might not have wanted to play along well with the painted freak and possibly get shown up as a star in the match. However if he was game he definitely had the skills to do it. Just look at the Foley match.

[Fando]

Sting had two good opponents in his career

Flair and Vader

 

Foley + Muta weren't good opponents?

[funkdoc]

Of course. The point is, there were literally hundreds of wrestlers who would have drawn huge with Hulk in the 80's. And if you think Brock Lesnar.....who is more like The Incredible Hulk than "Hulk Hogan" is.........

 

The idea that Ray Traylor is a bigger draw than Brock Lesnar is just........only at PWO

 

Nice troll btw. You baited me

 

this is a great example of why era adjustments could be useful if we knew how to apply them. we can't point to Brock as a draw because of how the business as a whole changed, but incorporating "buzz" factors casts him in a better light.

 

that said, you are selling Bossman a bit short there. "top 5 drawing Hogan house-show opponent" puts him ahead of plenty of guys, and his matches with Hogan were easily better than Kamala's (or even Orndorff's, i would argue). people think of Mr. Perfect as a legend when he was the absolute WORST-drawing opponent for Hogan during that time...

[Loss]

Of course. The point is, there were literally hundreds of wrestlers who would have drawn huge with Hulk in the 80's. And if you think Brock Lesnar.....who is more like The Incredible Hulk than "Hulk Hogan" is.........

 

The idea that Ray Traylor is a bigger draw than Brock Lesnar is just........only at PWO

 

Nice troll btw. You baited me

 

Hogan-Boss Man held some pretty big records for a house show run until Austin broke them. In fact, when the WWF signed Boss Man in the late 90s, they were touting him to their younger wrestlers as a great draw and someone they could learn a lot from. Undertaker worked with Hogan on the way down, but I can't think of anyone other than Boss Man who worked with both Hogan and Austin at their peaks. It's a pretty cool legacy.

 

There are obviously far more factors there, and I think a dry reading of the numbers doesn't prove much other than that some guys are in the right place at the right time. But he was a huge Hogan opponent.

[kjh]

 

 

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/710952017213181953

 

This is very silly

 

I'll eat my hat if the "big plans" with New Day involve HH. No way, no how......that's not happening

 

 

Oh, Bro, of course it wasn't. It's totally going to be the Rock, like you said.

 

Taking a cryptic Dave quote, making up a story based on it, and THEN reporting that the made up thing you created isn't going to happen and calling it news? Way to go Edward R. Zero.

 

 

The Rock makes a lot more sense, but when WWE trots out Eva Marie and were surprised at the negative reaction in Brooklyn of all places, you can't rule out that WWE is tone deaf enough to put Hogan in the spot. To be fair to Bix, there were rumours in early February that Hogan would be back for WrestleMania.

[C.S.]

The Rock makes a lot more sense, but when WWE trots out Eva Marie and were surprised at the negative reaction in Brooklyn of all places, you can't rule out that WWE is tone deaf enough to put Hogan in the spot. To be fair to Bix, there were rumours in early February that Hogan would be back for WrestleMania.

No one cares about Hogan's racism or sex tape. (By "no one," I mean the general audience at large.) He'll get a huge pop if he returns, gives all the "evil foreigners" the big boot, and poses with New Day. Kind of an odd spot for him though - and for Rock, to be honest - so I don't see either happening.

 

I think they'll both be there, but maybe in other roles...

 

Could still see Rock getting involved in the Roman match. Even though that pairing backfired on them both before, family is family and blood is blood.

 

Hogan entering and winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal would be an amazing surprise and pop IMO - especially if it ends with him eliminating Braun Strowman, brother!

 

"I picked up that 900-pound hillbilly, JACK, and broke every bone in my back, but with the power of the Hulkamaniacs and Hulkamania, I launched him right into the WWE Universe at Shea Stadium...I mean the AT&T Stadium, BROTHER!"

[Slasher]

 

The Rock makes a lot more sense, but when WWE trots out Eva Marie and were surprised at the negative reaction in Brooklyn of all places, you can't rule out that WWE is tone deaf enough to put Hogan in the spot. To be fair to Bix, there were rumours in early February that Hogan would be back for WrestleMania.

No one cares about Hogan's racism or sex tape. (By "no one," I mean the general audience at large.) He'll get a huge pop if he returns, gives all the "evil foreigners" the big boot, and poses with New Day. Kind of an odd spot for him though - and for Rock, to be honest - so I don't see either happening.

 

I think they'll both be there, but maybe in other roles...

 

Could still see Rock getting involved in the Roman match. Even though that pairing backfired on them both before, family is family and blood is blood.

 

Hogan entering and winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal would be an amazing surprise and pop IMO - especially if it ends with him eliminating Braun Strowman, brother!

 

"I picked up that 900-pound hillbilly, JACK, and broke every bone in my back, but with the power of the Hulkamaniacs and Hulkamania, I launched him right into the WWE Universe at Shea Stadium...I mean the AT&T Stadium, BROTHER!"

Don't rule out Hogan trying to claim he threw him out of Texas into New York.

[S.L.L.]

The idea that Ray Traylor is a bigger draw than Brock Lesnar is just........only at PWO

 

I agree. The fact that the gang at PWO can recognize that someone with an actual track record as a main event draw (albeit with an obvious assist from Hogan) is a bigger draw than someone with a track record as a box office flop despite the latter frequently receiving more hype than the former speaks very highly of this board's critical thinking skills. Only at PWO!

[goc]

Yea I really need some actual evidence of this "Brock Lesnar is a great draw!" thing that DOESN'T use UFC buy rates. From everything I've read he really didn't boost house show ticket sales at all on the last slate of shows he was added to.

[Slasher]

Not to disagree but I have to point out that the way Lesnar is booked doesn't help him as a draw really. He is like so far away from the normal WWE landscape that adding him to a few house shows would in theory boost their sales but the reality is that the fans don't trust them to do anything meaningful with Lesnar. They see the network specials of house shows where he's tossing New Day or Bo Dallas around. The Big Show match was a tired pairing that everyone knew meant nothing. People go to house shows to enjoy characters and matches but also to catch glimpses of future development. Lesnar is a special attraction who ascends once in a while from Hell to grace WWE with his presence and is so far away different from everyone else that you end up feeling disappointed when you see him dick around with jobbers in not so good matches that reveals nothing about their plans with Lesnar. How is that helpful? Also at this point, he can't even really be accurately measured as a TV draw or a monthly special draw anymore either with how they have constructed his place in the company.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Comparing modern day house show draws to Eighties house shows is just silly. Two different things completely.

[flyonthewall2983]

Death is going to just hang over this entire show. Bossman and two of the Freebirds, and everyone else will likely bring up Dusty or Roddy.

[C.S.]

Death is going to just hang over this entire show. Bossman and two of the Freebirds, and everyone else will likely bring up Dusty or Roddy.

 

Speaking of which, WWE has made such a big deal about Dusty - tribute shows on the Network, a statue, etc. - but very little in comparison about Roddy, who was by far a bigger star for WWE. I realize Dusty contributed a lot behind-the-scenes in his final years, but it's still strange that Roddy is barely mentioned or canonized the way Dusty has been.

[The Chief]

People forget, but Roddy had the incident that led to him getting fired from his Legends contract a few weeks before he passed away. Dusty was still actively involved in the company.

[Fando]

He didn't lose his legends deal, I thought? That was something Flair said that turned out to be incorrect.

[flyonthewall2983]

It wouldn't surprise me that more tribute would be paid to Dusty at this point, and same would go for the show tomorrow. It's in Texas, and he was a major figure in pushing at least Sting and Bossman into the limelight.

 

I would also add that it may be possible that because Dusty died of something not really related to the wrestling lifestyle that they put more shine on him.

[SteveJRogers]

Death is going to just hang over this entire show. Bossman and two of the Freebirds, and everyone else will likely bring up Dusty or Roddy.

 

Also they are doing a new Award called "Legacy Award" and bestowing it to a whole bunch of pioneers;

 

Ed "Strangler Lewis, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Lou Thesz, Mildred Burke, Pat O'Connor and "Sailor" Art Thomas.

 

All except for Thesz and Thomas passed last century, with Thesz and Thomas passing in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

 

Wait, Legacy Award? It doesn't have Big Jess' name on it, but I wonder if this is the non kayfabe version of that gimmick that kicked off Shane's return?

[Loss]

 

Death is going to just hang over this entire show. Bossman and two of the Freebirds, and everyone else will likely bring up Dusty or Roddy.

 

Speaking of which, WWE has made such a big deal about Dusty - tribute shows on the Network, a statue, etc. - but very little in comparison about Roddy, who was by far a bigger star for WWE. I realize Dusty contributed a lot behind-the-scenes in his final years, but it's still strange that Roddy is barely mentioned or canonized the way Dusty has been.

 

 

Forever, it seemed like wrestling colloquially started in 1984. Now, their history seems to almost be that wrestling started with the Monday Night Wars. They play up that era far, far more than Rock N Wrestling for reasons I don't get.

[ButchReedMark]

I think that might be more to play towards members of the current audience who were teens at the time. He was was 12 in 1998, is 30 in 2016. And they're probably looking at them probably having more 30 year old fans than ones in their 40s, especially on social media and at shows and such. Just trying to tap into teenage nostalgia.