WWE.com says Hardy vs. Flair tonight. Intrigue abounds!
-WWE Open.
-We get highlights of the final two in the Rumble, then clips of all three of last week’s show and Undertaker’s appearance on them. Who will he choose? We’ll find out tonight! Of course, that’s what they said on Smackdown too.
-We are greeted by Taker’s music in the arena, no RAW opening. JR and The King welcome us to Sioux City, Iowa (at the Tyson Events Center), noting Taker’s rare appearance on the flagship brand. Before Taker even gets a mic, John Cena’s music brings the Champ out. The ECW Champ, Lashley, comes out next. I’m almost surprised they even bothered to include him here. Batista comes out last, to a pretty good pop. A lot of star power in that ring right now. The dead man stares down Lashley, then goes face-to-face with Batista. Then he gives the “throat-cutting” gesture, which the announcers jump on and immediately conclude that he’s picked Batista to face at Wrestlemania. We’re not done yet- HBK comes out, and immediately notes that Cena now has no opponent at WM. But before he can lay claim to the match, Randy Orton comes out. Orton DEMANDS a title shot from Cena. But wait! Edge’s music brings the Rated R Superstar out. Edge says he’s never lost at WM, meaning he should take preference over all the others in getting a match. Before he can get too far, Mr. McMahon steps out onto the ramp. Noting the importance of this moment, he of course immediately goes for the cheap Iowa jokes. Vince says no one has challenged Lashley, then calls him the best champ standing in that ring. Wow. He’s convinced someone from RAW will challenge him tonight, and he will defend the ECW Championship this evening. We’ll find out who Cena will face at WM, tonight. He announces Orton vs. Edge vs. HBK for tonight, with the winner getting a shot at Cena at WrestleMania. He sneaks in a subtle shot at the Trumpster as he leaves. Taker is still in the ring, staring a hole through Batista. Batista doesn’t back down. Taker grabs Batista by the throat and chokeslams him. JR calls it a “powerslam.” Very good opening segment. It went 15 minutes, but because so many were involved, no one person had to carry the segment. Set up a lot of intrigue for the WM title matches.
[Break]
-Clips of moments ago are shown, concentrating on Taker and Batista’s confrontations.
1- CARLITO AND CRYME TYME VS. CHRIS MASTERS AND THE WORLD’S GREATEST TAG TEAM All six men start in the ring. It eventually pares down to Benjamin and JTG. For some reason, the ring introductions felt rushed for this match. Haas is tagged in as King makes a joke about JTG’s college resume. Big belly-to-belly suplex gets two from Haas. Masters is the legal man and he pounds away at JTG in the corner. Tag back in to Haas as he hits Shad on the outside. Quick tag to Carlito and he goes after everybody. Springboard elbow takes out two guys. Now chaos is reigning, as it ends up Carlito and Haas. Carlito had Haas pinned but the ref was distracted. Benjamin then hit a blockbuster and Haas got the pin on Carlito.
WINNERS: The World’s Greatest Tag Team and Chris Masters at 3:03. Weird match- it felt like it was set for longer but at the last minute it had to be trimmed down. Everything in the match seemed rushed.
-Ric Flair vs. Jeff Hardy is later tonight. Also, Melina faces Mickie James for the Women’s Title. Plus, HBK vs. Edge vs. Orton. Stacked lineup tonight.
[Break]
-Vince blows off some steam to Coach backstage. He says the audience doesn’t want cash, they want value. Kenny interrupts, and says he wants to face Lashley tonight. Vince wishes him good luck. Coach presents Vince with another letter from Trump. The Donald says he’ll appear on RAW next week, “with a business proposal that will change your life forever.” XFL Season Two???? I can only wish. Vince plans on inducting him into the “Kiss My Ass” club.
-Maria introduces Ric Flair for an interview backstage. Flair stumbles over his words at one point, but cuts a pretty good promo, saying he’ll be at WM as the IC Champ.
-Melina and Candice talk about Candice’s ad backstage. She wishes Melina good luck. Johnny Nitro then appears, and has some not-so-nice plans for Super Crazy.
[Break]
-For some reason, Balls Mahoney is in the ring. Coach comes onto the stage, saying that Mr. McMahon has had some problems with ECW originals, so we’ve got a hand-picked opponent to take out Balls....
2- BALLS MAHONEY VS. UMAGA It’s all Umaga early, including a diving headbutt on Balls as he was lying stomach-first on the top rope. Samoan drop follows that and King claims Umaga is just playing with balls at this point. He’s on tonight. Running butt-splash, then the Samoan Spike finishes it.
WINNER: Umaga at 1:55. Not sure where they’re going with this Vince/ECW Originals feud. But I’m sure it includes most of them getting squashed.
-Triple-Threat match tonight, with the winner facing Cena at WM! Stay tuned!
[Break]
3- JOHNNY NITRO VS. SUPER CRAZY Crazy has Mickie in his corner to even the odds. Nitro with an uppercut and he goes to work with some right hands on Crazy. Neckbreaker and pin, but it only gets two. Crazy almost gets three with a roll-up out of the corner. Back-breaker and Russian leg-sweep puts Nitro back on the offensive. Nitro gets a roll-up after Melina grabs Crazy’s foot. Mickie does the same thing, and Crazy is back on offense. Nitro, though, catches Crazy on the top-rope and tries a suplex off. Crazy elbows him off then hits the moonsault for the win.
WINNER: Super Crazy at 3:00. I wonder what Super Crazy did to get this push all of a sudden.
[Break]
4- MELINA VS. MICKIE JAMES This match gets underway right after the break. And it looks like we’ve got a new referee. How’d he draw a Women’s Title match on his first night? The girls roll around on the ground at first, then we have a stalemate. Melina with a couple kicks to the gut, but Mickie monkey-flips out. Melina decides to take a powder and talk things over with Johnny Nitro. Mickie gets hung-up on the top rope throat-first and Melina has the advantage. Couple of two-counts for Melina. Melina working some submission moves here, and the crowd tries to get Mickie back into the match. In the middle of calling the match, JR plugged what’s upcoming, and I realized it was because it just hit 10:00. Mickie hits some forearms, clotheslines and elbows. Mickie gets a cover for two after a hurricanrana. Melina flips Mickie to the outside. Back in, Melina with a roll-up, but the ref sees her grabbing the rope. Mickie reverses it and gets the pin.
WINNER: Mickie James at 4:38. Decent match.
-After the match, the paparazzi enters the ring, taking pictures of Melina, but Nitro runs them off. -Backstage, Cena walks in on HBK taping his wrists in the locker room. Cena says he wants Edge to win because he KNOWS he can beat Edge. Cena wishes HBK good luck and goes on his merry way.
-Flair vs. Hardy is NEXT!
[Break]
5- JEFF HARDY VS. RIC FLAIR If Flair wins, he’ll be in an IC Title match at WM. I thought this was a title match. Eh. Hardy nails Flair with a stiff open-hand, but Flair chops him in the corner. Hardy comes up lame jumping over Flair as he drew him into the corner. It’s the left knee and of course, Flair zeroes in on it. I love that chop-block he does. The crowd is chanting for Hardy here. Bit of a “Let’s go Flair” chant then breaks out. Flair is doing everything he can to take out that knee, even adding in some chops in the corner. Hardy comes back with an enziguiri, and we get a “Flair flop.” Haven’t seen that in a while. Hardy overshoots a whisper in the wind, but gets enough of Flair to take him down. Twist of fate is hit, and instead of going for the pin, Hardy goes to the top. Big mistake, as the swanton misses. Flair goes back to work on the knee. He does some strutting, but as he goes for the figure-four, Hardy counters with an inside cradle and gets the three.
WINNER: Jeff Hardy at 5:43. Pretty good match, as we saw some classic Flair with the working of the knee.
-Post-match, Flair shakes Hardy’s hand in a sign of respect.
-Another plug for the Triple Threat match coming up later tonight. And next, it’s Kenny vs. Lashley for the ECW World Title.
[Break]
-Earlier tonight, Taker picked Batista.
-Todd Grisham is backstage with Batista, who is now smiling. Batista says he’s not intimidated and that “payback’s a bitch.” He doesn’t have a problem teaming up with Taker at No Way Out either.
6- KENNY DYKSTRA VS. BOBBY LASHLEY Not much of a reaction for Lashley. Dykstra didn’t even get an entrance. Introductions are done in mid-ring. No clean break in the corner, but Lashley saw it coming. One punch sends Dykstra over the top rope and to the outside. Back in, Lashley is treating Dykstra like a rag doll. Another right hand from Lashley sends Kenny from the apron to the end of the ramp. But Kenny dropkicks Lashley right in the knee on the outside. He then throws the champ in for the cover, but only gets two. Dykstra puts some light boots to the face of Lashley. Another cover gets two. Flying back-elbow and another near-fall for Dykstra. Things get slowed down as Kenny has Lashley in a sleeper. Lashley fights out and hits a few clotheslines. Into the buckle, Lashley catches a boot from Kenny, but then hits a T-bone suplex. Kenny hits Lashley coming off the ropes with a dropkick that sends Lashley to the outside as we head to break.
[Break]
Back live, and Kenny has Lashley down with a front chancery. Lashley is on his feet, but Kenny elbows him back down. They do the same sequence, but this time, Lashely fights out successfully. Huge beal out of the corner, then he hits the British Bulldog Memorial Suplex. Kenny catches Lashley with a boot charging in, but Lashley picks him up in a gorilla press, into a powerslam for the pin.
WINNER: Lashley at 11:05. Not sure if that was the wisest match to give ten minutes, what with a 20-year old and a guy still really raw like Lashley, but it wasn’t that bad I guess.
-Edge wants to talk with Orton backstage, but Orton wants none of it. Edge just wants to make sure the winner isn’t HBK.
-Carlito and Torrie are walking backstage. They pass Ric Flair. Flair gives Carlito the business for leaving before the main event and going out to party after he lost. He calls Carlito a “lazy, underachieving son-of-a-bitch.” Hell of a promo from Flair. Somebody wanted to send Carlito (and others, too, probably) a message.
-All three competitors for the main event are walking backstage. That match is next!
[Break]
-The Donald will be on RAW next Thursday night at 8pm, 7pm central. Surprised they’re not plugging the special day and time more tonight.
7- EDGE VS. RANDY ORTON VS. SHAWN MICHAELS Michaels is still coming out to the DX music. Rated RKO work together against HBK to start things off. HBK gets a double-clothesline, then two inverted atomic drops. Flying forearm knocks down edge and Orton is sent over the top rope. HBK slams Edge, but he comes up holding his lower back. Michaels is pushed off the top rope by Orton. He didn’t sell that throw over the top rope too long. HBK is sent to the outside and Orton sizes up Edge for an RKO. Edge sees it coming though and the two go face-to-face as we head to break.
[Break]
Orton gets sent over the top as we return. HBK gets a baseball slide on Orton, who jumps onto the broadcast table. Big kick from Edge puts HBK down for two. Edge is working on the back of Michaels now. Michaels knocks Edge off the top-rope, but Orton is back in and he gets an inverted back-breaker on HBK. Off the ropes goes HBK, and Orton hits a beautiful drop-kick for two. Both men back on their feet and Orton gets a couple European upper-cuts, but Michaels gets a backslide for two. RKO, but Edge pulls Orton off HBK. The two former tag champs argue and a shoving match ensues. They re-group and shake hands, but they both then starting trading right hands. Edge gets the advantage and sets up for the spear, but Orton leapfrogs him and Edge goes into the turnbuckle. Mid-air collision as they both went for a cross-body. HBK sneaks back into the ring. Well actually, he’s going to the top rope. He lands an elbowdrop on Edge. He’s getting pumped now, and starts tuning up the band. He misses the superkick on Edge, while Edge spears Orton. Superkick for Edge and HBK goes over to pin Orton, and he gets the victory.
WINNER: Shawn Michaels at 13:00. Pretty good match with some nice drama.
-Cena meets HBK in mid-ring for a stare-down. Batista’s music then hits and he comes out onto the ramp. The gongs ring out and Undertaker music goes off. Those two go face-to-face on the stage as well. Both teams for No Way Out, paired off, then give the opposing team a stare-down. Interesting stuff here. Cena’s music hits as we close out a very good RAW.
My complete Rumble thoughts and more!: Experience It
The way the Hardy/Flair match was going, with Flair's overconfidence leading to his pin, I thought they were going to have Flair do the classic: Destroy Hardy after the handshake, slap on a rope assisted Figure 4, Hardy has leg injury, gets revenge against Flair at Mania angle. That was vintage Flair on the mic when he was going off on Carlito though. Still would rather see Carlito/Super Crazy though. Someone please put Jim Ross out of our misery. I wonder if for the This Week in Wrestling History segment on the special edition of RAW next week they will go over the 10th anniversary of I Lost My Smile? Wish they had been more creative with the ending to the Triple Threat. Have Orton and Edge double pin each other on a belly to back suplex, thus causing Shawn Michaels to get the victory as he wasn't pinned. Would be a novel twist to the Triple Threat. Batista/Taker vs. Michaels/Cena would be a shocking match, except for two things. First, Cena/Michaels are tag champs. Are those belts on the line though? Also, we saw this last year with Angle/Mysterio/Orton tagging against Trip/Cena a few weeks before Mania on SNME. I'd rather watch the Dog Show than Vince and Trump ego stroke each other next week. They should be starting the selections for the Hall of Fame soon, correct? Dusty, the Von Erichs and the Rock 'n Roll Express would be early guesses on my part.
(edited by redsoxnation on 5.2.07 2320) The Horsemen DVD is 3 Discs and 9 hours. Let Us Rejoice and Sing Its Praise.
I'm watching the midnight version on Global (just started as of this writing)
Except... it began with Lilian singing the national anthem, JR & Lawler's introductions, followed by the "We'll be going live in just a few minutes!" announcement; basically what the live audience sees and not us at home. Except I just saw it at home!
The pre-show cheers then cut away to some audio from ECW and a commercial break. So weird.
How has no one mentioned the unintentionally hilarious highlight of the show... Lashley accidentally grabbing Kenny's genitalia to support him during the suplex, taking way too long to realize his mistake, and then moving his hand to where it belonged.
Oh, and it was a decent show. A lot of wrestling matches so I guess that's good. And Super Crazy got to wrestle, so that was a plus. I swear, Super Crazy is thanking his lucky stars that they called him to work One Night Stand.
I know they really tried, but Lashley STILL feels like just an afterthought and I really think he was included in tonight's show just for the sake of being included. I really hope someone's got a good plan for a title unification scenario soon, because ECW shouldn't be long for this world.
I'm loving the buildup for the NWO main event. I know it's been a while since they played up the brand rivalry, but I've always been a sucker for that sort of thing. And I guess it lets the bookers get the "wacky tag team partners who don't get along" thing out of their system.
What's the definition of insider booking? That Carlito/Flair segment. This is one of those segments that was booked just for the sake of teaching someone a lesson. But at least Flair managed to get himself over through it, because that was one of his best promos in a while.
And hey, no Khali tonight! Will wonders never cease?
Originally posted by It's FalseWhat's the definition of insider booking? That Carlito/Flair segment. This is one of those segments that was booked just for the sake of teaching someone a lesson. But at least Flair managed to get himself over through it, because that was one of his best promos in a while.
Someone needs to page Vince Russo, since that Flair promo was a perfect example of a semi-shoot angle that works well as an on-air angle and is 'inside' enough for more hardcore fans to understand. What was the deal here, anyway? Was this an on-air retelling of the CM Punk incident, with Carlito playing Punk's role, or was Carlito himself in the doghouse?
I don't know what is more disquieting -- the fact that the rest of the statue is missing, or that it has four toes.
Meltz reports that Flair really wants to do a heel turn, so I don't think the Carlito promo was just a one-off. There's an angle being developed there.
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
Originally posted by oldschoolheroMeltz reports that Flair really wants to do a heel turn, so I don't think the Carlito promo was just a one-off. There's an angle being developed there.
As long as it leads to him leading a stable of young guys, then I think it's a good idea ... otherwise, he's still going to get cheered (which will probably happen anyway) ...
Super Crazy is starting to look Super Porky ...
And was that 2 wins in a row for Haas & Benjamin? I think we're onto something here ...
I thought the show was good, but telegraphed. I knew the outcome of each match before it started. It definately takes away from the anticipation.
One thing that I loved, and unbelievably JR touched on this, was during the Vince rant after Undertaker choose Batista, not once did the Undertaker look at Vince. His eyes were square on batista the whole time. He was so focused he could care less what Vince was saying. I just wish Batista was doing the same. But alas, he was watching Vince.
I hope Undertaker wins at Wrestlemania. They need a way to get the title off of Batista without making him look bad and losing to Undertaker never hurts anyones career. Hopefully this will segue into a Kennedy/UT feud.
...that motherfucker is always spiked with pain.....
I was thinking about the possibility of UT winning, and realised that it's by FAR the best option for Smackdown's summer. By the simple virtue of him having the belt Taker gets a whole slew of fresh matches opened up for him. Taker/Benoit, Taker/Finlay, Taker/Booker, a second go-around of Taker/Kennedy...all matches that, without the title, would require some spooky-ass BS to get going. Plus, the guy deserves a better final reign than the absolute stinker he had back in '02.
Raw continues to be pretty great, but man was JR having a rotten night. Confusing a chokeslam with a powerslam is bad enough, but he followed it with "Batista looks ready to kill!!...not literally, but in a figurative sense...he looks ready to assault!".
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
Good RAW last night. Good. No buts, no caveats, just the first RAW in months that had my interest from start to finish and made me care about a lot of the wrestlers again. This has so far been the best build to WrestleMania in a few years.
The Undertaker choosing Batista was not surprising and a little disappointing. I kind of had my heart set on Undertaker killing John Cena at WrestleMania. I have doubts about Batista's ability to hold up his end of their match at WrestleMania, but Undertaker was on point tonight. Once he chose Batista, he never took his eyes off him, except to stare at Cena and HBK at the end. The chokeslam on Batista was vintage Undertaker, and Batista not getting rattled because that's how Undertaker plays his game felt right. The logic of HBK coming down immediately after Undertaker made his choice was spot on, as were Orton and Edge following right after to make their claim at the main event spot. Cena was also interesting when he pointed out he wanted Edge to win so he'd have a relatively easy night at WrestleMania against someone he has beaten before, as opposed to an X-factor like Shawn Michaels. This was good, character-based writing all around.
The main event was pretty good. Triple threats are always awkward since it's usually either a glorified handicap match or one guy always has to be asleep on the outside so the other two can wrestle, but waiting for Edge and Orton to betray each other kept the match interesting. The endpoint of Michaels getting the shot at Cena was expected but the road getting there had some scenic detours.
As for Lashley, the intriguing aspect of his presence on RAW was Vince's endorsement of him as "the best champion" of the three. If the plan is for Lashley, Elijah Burke, and Marcus Cor Von to clean house on the ECW Originals or for Lashley to stand up for the ECW Originals against Burke and Cor Von, one thing is certain: no one can claim Vince doesn't like pushing his black wrestlers.
My one real complaint is the squashing of Balls Mahoney by Umaga. Once again, if this point hasn't been made abundantly clear, no ECW Original is even remotely a match for a bona fide WWE Superstar.
Mickie James and Melina had a hell of a good fight. Those two have had real life problems in the past and you can see some of it come through in the way they struck each other. They didn't do a lot of moves but there was genuine emotion and animosity on display. I hope those two keep going at it.
Super Crazy has really started to grow on me. Whoever had the idea to move him over to RAW was on to something, though it took a while to find it. What's great about Super Crazy is that he wrestles differently than most of the RAW roster. His lucha style is a breath of fresh air from the punch-kick style of someone like Chris Masters.
The Flair promo on Carlito was just terrific. Flair is absolutely right and it's a good storyline/worked shoot explanation for why Carlito languishes on the midcard, going nowhere, and is content to do so. Frankly, I share Flair's sentiments in regards to Carlito and a lot of the other guys on the roster. A Flair heel turn and maybe putting together some Horsemen would make ne happy.
For me, the funniest line of the night was J.R. going way overboard reading the promo card for Skittles during Jeff Hardy's entrance.
Jim Ross: "SKITTLES! They're fruity! Delicious! Delicious! OH MY GOD ARE THEY FRUITY!"
Jerry Lawler: "You really like Skittles, don't you?"
I guess I missed on JR's bad night, but his "after all these years, the Undertaker still gives me chills down my spine was very unbelievable, and seemed forced."
Flair's promo with Maria was painful to watch, but boy oh boy, the one he cut on Carlito was a thing of beauty, and I don't think it was so much aimed at Punk, but Carlito himself.
The only reason I could possibly like Vince vs. the ECW Originals is if it leads to ECW being dropped. Why else tinker with having ECW guys wrestle on a Raw show. Sure, Lashley I can understand, but Balls? Come on.
Another good Raw, as we slowly get closer to WM23.
Co-Winner of the 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year Award
Flair: still the man, after all these years. I hope he can bring it in the ring if he fights Carlito at WM, because Carlito DESPERATELY needs something to elevate/motivate him.
Myself, I would rather they turn Carlito, his face run has been horrible. besides, there is no way fans will consistently boo Flair. Especially if he creates a group of Horsemen (when does that DVD come out anyway?)
Good main event. Somehow, they have been booked an intriguing main event for NWO, although they had to bring in 2 Raw guys to do so. But at the same time, unless there is a heel turn at NWO, there is not a whole lot of drama involved. I just can't see the top two matches being face vs. face, especially if they do Edge/Orton, which looks to be heel vs heel. Neither of those guys need to turn face. And the fans have shown that they will no-sell any attempt at a Orton face turn.
Dean! Have you been shooting dope into your scrotum? You can tell me! I'm hip!
Originally posted by John OrquiolaThe main event was pretty good. Triple threats are always awkward since it's usually either a glorified handicap match or one guy always has to be asleep on the outside so the other two can wrestle, but waiting for Edge and Orton to betray each other kept the match interesting. The endpoint of Michaels getting the shot at Cena was expected but the road getting there had some scenic detours.
My only problem with this match is that HBK and Vince very recently had a feud for over a year. For Vince to then put HBK in a Number One Contender's match seemed far-fetched. I would at least have liked to see Michaels somehow trick Vince into giving him the title shot, or maybe Vince could have let Michaels into the match but he's fired if he loses, something like that. It seemed ridiculous, storyline-wise, that Vince would just let Michaels get a title shot like that.
Originally posted by oldschoolheroI was thinking about the possibility of UT winning, and realised that it's by FAR the best option for Smackdown's summer. By the simple virtue of him having the belt Taker gets a whole slew of fresh matches opened up for him. Taker/Benoit, Taker/Finlay, Taker/Booker, a second go-around of Taker/Kennedy...all matches that, without the title, would require some spooky-ass BS to get going. Plus, the guy deserves a better final reign than the absolute stinker he had back in '02.
Why would you assume this to be his last title reign? I know suddenly the idea that this is nearing the end for UT seems to have come in vogue lately, but I just don't see it happening. The guy has a sweet schedule, he's still put at the top of the card and basically invincible in the booking. I have very little doubt that UT will make it to 20 Wrestlemanias before its done.
Originally posted by oldschoolheroI was thinking about the possibility of UT winning, and realised that it's by FAR the best option for Smackdown's summer. By the simple virtue of him having the belt Taker gets a whole slew of fresh matches opened up for him. Taker/Benoit, Taker/Finlay, Taker/Booker, a second go-around of Taker/Kennedy...all matches that, without the title, would require some spooky-ass BS to get going. Plus, the guy deserves a better final reign than the absolute stinker he had back in '02.
Why would you assume this to be his last title reign? I know suddenly the idea that this is nearing the end for UT seems to have come in vogue lately, but I just don't see it happening. The guy has a sweet schedule, he's still put at the top of the card and basically invincible in the booking. I have very little doubt that UT will make it to 20 Wrestlemanias before its done.
I think it's because of his greatly reduced schedule that people are starting to think about his retirement. He's banged up pretty bad after 20 or so years in the business. Both his knees and both his elbows have had repeated surgery on them. There's a limit to how much longer he's physically going to be able, not just to wrestle, but to walk around and throw punches.
Originally posted by oldschoolheroI was thinking about the possibility of UT winning, and realised that it's by FAR the best option for Smackdown's summer. By the simple virtue of him having the belt Taker gets a whole slew of fresh matches opened up for him. Taker/Benoit, Taker/Finlay, Taker/Booker, a second go-around of Taker/Kennedy...all matches that, without the title, would require some spooky-ass BS to get going. Plus, the guy deserves a better final reign than the absolute stinker he had back in '02.
Why would you assume this to be his last title reign? I know suddenly the idea that this is nearing the end for UT seems to have come in vogue lately, but I just don't see it happening. The guy has a sweet schedule, he's still put at the top of the card and basically invincible in the booking. I have very little doubt that UT will make it to 20 Wrestlemanias before its done.
I think it's because of his greatly reduced schedule that people are starting to think about his retirement. He's banged up pretty bad after 20 or so years in the business. Both his knees and both his elbows have had repeated surgery on them. There's a limit to how much longer he's physically going to be able, not just to wrestle, but to walk around and throw punches.
As long as he's tall, has the coat, can roll his eyes in his head, and has the GONG at the beginning of the music, he'll be around. Look at Hogan. He still moves around pretty well for a guy his size and age. The reduced schedule seems to have helped him greatly. I will be absolutely stunned if he isn't still in the main event tier of guys five years from now.
Originally posted by kentishI am sure Taker has been at or near the top of the WWE salary list for some time now. Does anyone know if he is now paid by the appearance?
Probably not. Allegedly WWE contracts have downside guarantees, plus additional money for merch, PPV appearances and dates worked bonuses.
Originally posted by JohnIf the plan is for Lashley, Elijah Burke, and Marcus Cor Von to clean house on the ECW Originals or for Lashley to stand up for the ECW Originals against Burke and Cor Von, one thing is certain: no one can claim Vince doesn't like pushing his black wrestlers.
HIS black wrestlers? You racist. Actually I thought Umaga/Balls was setting up Umaga running through the ECW Originals until only the Extreme Hero Bobby Lashley stands in his way at Wrestlemania.
Triple H can be entertaining when all the promos and video packages lead up to excellent matches against other high caliber wrestlers. Unfortunately this has not been the case since he got hurt.