This robs everyone of being able to use Chris Masters as an all purpose example. Who steps up and becomes the go to muscle head?
If this was a third strike, I'd think WWE would mention it (and it'd be rough to get the third strike while serving the second.) They were out of any ideas for him and he wasn't getting any better, so perhaps this was more a general purpose release.
I thought he improved a great deal in a short amount of time. He could sell, and he learned how to target a body part to set up his finisher. Compare him to Snitsky, who still lumbers around like he was just hired.
His initial push was too much too fast, and then he was mired in weak feuds (Santino, Palumbo). Also, he never developed on the mic.
I will miss his "map of the ovaries" shorts and his uncanny resemblance to my brother-in-law.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Goddamnit. Well, he'd been living on borrowed time for a couple years now, but damn it I loved this guy. The Masterlock was probably my favorite finish for a good stretch of time, if only because the booking of it was so well protected. Give me a submission finisher that means game over any day over one that is either a) 30 rope breaks before a sudden tapout), or b) never gets the win, but always makes the opponent tap out during a post-match beatdown.
I am especially disappointed I don't get to see one last Masters/Kane match, as they worked together much better than ever would have been expected.
Since they failed to book anybody else breaking the Master Lock ahead of this release, I have to think this wasn't planned, at least on the corporate side. Maybe CM shrunk (OMG Justin did you see what I just typed) again as part of getting off the stuff and as a result he saw the writing on the wall and/or decided that he was enduring entirely too much bullshit based on his size or lack thereof, or maybe it was just that somebody noticed that his suspension period ended up dovetailing nicely with a 90-day rollover and it wouldn't be worth bothering to keep him around.
Also, WHY IS RANDY ORTON STILL BREATHING GOD DAMN IT - oh, wait, we're not outraged about that anymore, are we. GOD DAMN TRIPLE H BOOKING
Originally posted by CRZMaybe CM shrunk (OMG Justin did you see what I just typed)
jackpot. CM Flunk three drug tests. I also liked "Masterlock let go of, Masterlock released, Masterlock broke."
I feel bad for the guy and the mixed messages but they had given up on him long ago. I bet he's eventually one of those "go on the indies, get huge again, catch our eye with that hugeness, then come back to our company and get drug-tested" re-signings.
I just figured it was similar to 'Office Space' and Masterdouche was actually cut loose a long time ago and no one bothered to tell him. He hung around the back, got used for last-minute segments, collected a paycheck, etc. Then double-double E 'fixed the glitch' ... so to speak.
Originally posted by CRZMaybe CM shrunk (OMG Justin did you see what I just typed)
jackpot. CM Flunk three drug tests. I also liked "Masterlock let go of, Masterlock released, Masterlock broke."
I feel bad for the guy and the mixed messages but they had given up on him long ago. I bet he's eventually one of those "go on the indies, get huge again, catch our eye with that hugeness, then come back to our company and get drug-tested" re-signings.
(edited by JustinShapiro on 8.11.07 2239)
If a guy gets fired because of drug tests or leaves with a few strike on him, does he get a fresh set of strikes if he is rehired by the company or do the strikes carry over? More of a Booker related query than Masters.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroYeah Lashley broke the Masterlock
And didnt some dude in the Army break it too when they went over to Iraq/Afghanistan? I forget.
They did that for an easy pop with the troops, and then the following week claimed that it didn't count due to the interference of JBL dressed as Santa Claus. (The announcers made it out like nobody but Masters and maybe some other heels held that opinion, but it was Masters's challenge and Masters's rules.) It looks like Lashley is the only "undisputed" winner of the challenge, on the 3/19 Raw.
Since I was bored, here you go - I found the ratings (courtesy of the Wrestling Information Archive), threw 'em into an Excel spreadsheet and whipped together a graph: Highest Raw rating: 5.
Thread rated: 4.96
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