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Sound Off 140: Cena Gets Hurt And Murders An Innocent Promo!

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 140)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Solomonster is ringing in the new year with news on the severity of John Cena’s injury, Awesome Kong’s signing with WWE, Jeff Hardy pleading guilty to drug charges, thoughts on CM Punk as the leader of Nexus, TNA Reaction’s fate is sealed and the BEST OF WWE 2010 countdown! Lots of great (and not so great) items to run down, so celebrate with the first Sound Off of 2011 and download this show now!!

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MAILBAG: Did Vince McMahon Sabotage The ECW Brand?

SEScoops Mailbag for December 30th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: If John Cena was to suffer a career-ending injury tomorrow, who do you think Vince McMahon would slide in as the new “face” of the WWE? – Shane

A: Ironically, we received this question a full 5 days before Cena was injured at a house show in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Tuesday. Thankfully, it sounds as though the injury is not serious and certainly will not threaten his career, but it does show that even “Super Cena” can be one injury away from doom. So what might WWE do if that were to happen? I see them slotting in another main event star like Randy Orton or Triple H into his spot before elevating someone new. Those are very big shoes to fill and while it would be great to see a John Morrison or Daniel Bryan given a chance like that, it’s not WWE’s style. Frankly, I don’t blame them. It would be nice to see them take a risk, but you have to go with your proven hand.

Q: Was Vince McMahon buying the original ECW his master plan to get rid of ECW? The new WWE-ECW failed miserably, so could Vince have done that on purpose seeing how much potential the original ECW could have had now with WWE going PG? Did he want to destroy the original ECW on purpose? – Rory B.

A: Vince McMahon is not Leo Bloom (look it up). Resurrecting the ECW brand with the intention of watching it fail is still among the more preposterous things I’ve ever heard. ECW was transformed into a nutered, PG version of its former self because Vince thought it was the best way to make money off it. That’s why they started doing ECW house show touring, but eventually merged it with the Smackdown shows when it didn’t draw well. He wanted it to succeed, as did SyFy and Bonnie Hammer of NBC Universal, but it didn’t. It was a poorly-conceived idea. As much as Jesse Ventura may hate to hear this, there was no conspiracy.

Q: If I remember correctly, when Nexus first formed, Wade Barrett said they had a “higher purpose” and there was a “bigger picture” that was to be revealed. What ever happened to this storyline? I can only assume it had something to do with the anonymous GM. Do you believe Nexus will disband before we hear what their “secret goal” actually is? Just seemed like they had something huge planned and might have dropped the whole angle. – Michael C.

A: This was sent in before CM Punk was revealed as the new leader of Nexus, so I don’t think they will be disbanding for a while. It breathes some new life into a stale storyline. Frankly, I’m still waiting for David Otunga to reveal why Nexus attacked and buried The Undertaker at Bragging Rights. Perhaps we will still find out, but WWE changing or dropping parts of their storylines isn’t anything new.

Q: Was Santa Big Show flattening that chair on the live Smackdown planned? I couldn’t really tell because there were so many references made to his weight within that story he told. – Ryan B.

A: I don’t believe it was, which makes it that much funnier.

Q: Why did WWE and Jonathan Coachman part ways? – NateOB

A: Coach was offered a position as an anchor for ESPN, which had always been a dream job for him. He got his start as a local sports anchor in Kansas City before coming to WWE. I don’t think he ever planned on WWE being his permanent destination, though he was well-liked by Vince McMahon and left the company on seemingly good terms. I say that with some doubts because when Vince appeared on ESPN News last year to discuss the Stan Kroenke controversy, he was actually interviewed by his former employee and totally blew off The Coach.

Q: I’ve heard rumors that Batista will be returning to WWE soon, and I am assuming it will be around the time of WrestleMania. Based on him appearing at the Slammy Awards, as well as being mentioned on a Raw segment by CM Punk/John Cena, do you believe we will see Batista return and become an active wrestler again? Or will this just be a one time appearance? – Nolan

A: Batista appeared at the Slammy Awards? My cable must have gone out during that segment (probably did, Cablevision bastards). I assume you are referring to clips of Batista being shown during the Slammys as he was nominated for two different awards. By no means is this a sign of his imminent return to WWE. In fact, rumors even greater than the rumors you’re hearing suggest that he continues to train hard for his MMA debut and may have his first fight with the Strikeforce promotion as early as this March. He’s been filming a movie in the interim, which was one of the reasons he chose to leave WWE (he was very upset when he was removed from his planned WWE film and replaced by Triple H, a move that was made when Big Dave would not renew his contract).

Q: The NXT show, are all matches scripted, like who will win or lose??? Also, for the Royal Rumble, are all wrestlers told who will win??? And does TNA and WWE’s way of fighting differ, like is one fake or real, lethal or non-lethal, brutal or non-brutal??? – Marshmiller, Zimbabwe

A: Yes, the NXT rookies are aware of who will win or lose their matches in advance. Only the wrestlers who need to know who is winning the Royal Rumble are told, it’s not something they publicize to everyone for fear of word leaking out. For example, the belief is that only Vince McMahon, Triple H and John Cena himself knew that Cena was entering the 2008 Rumble as #30. As for your last question, I can tell you that Monday Night Raw can be quite brutal some weeks, while TNA Impact is almost always lethal without the aid of alcohol or a tranquilizer.

Q: I remember when Daniel Bryan had his first match against Mr. Ziggles, he kicked him in the head so many times, it was only one of many reasons why those two gave such a great performance they had them do it again the next night. But ever since then, I have seen Daniel Bryan only kick people in the chest. Do you know if WWE doesn’t want him to do that again, or was it Bryan’s choice? – Joey

A: It may well have been something WWE asked him not to do, but I never heard any stories about it. Now that you mention it, during one of the three matches Bryan had with Dolph Ziggler (it would have been either their Bragging Rights encounter or their final match on Smackdown), I recall Bryan nailing Ziggler with an absolutely wicked kick that seemed to knock him a bit loopy. Perhaps that was the catalyst for stopping the head kicks, if in fact that is what happened.

Q: Randy Orton has been in WWE for a long time, so why hasn’t [he gotten] a DVD like Rey Mysterio who has been in the company for the same amount of time as Orton. What is wrong? – Dallas

A: Chris Jericho was in WWE for nine years (not including the two years he left for his last break) before he got his first DVD treatment this year. He did have one VHS release early on in his run, but that wasn’t a DVD set. There’s no rhyme or reason for it. I’m positive Orton will get a 3-disc set all to himself within the next two years. As an aside, WWE could do all of us insomniacs a great service by first releasing a DVD set made up exclusively of Randy Orton promos.

Q: With the news of Samoa Joe re-signing with TNA the story line comes to mind where he got thrown in the back of a van by guys in all black and masks. I can’t help but try to remember what ever happened with him getting “Kidnapped” right after Hogan and Bitchoff arrived in TNA? I don’t remember if they did or didn’t say who it was. And if they didn’t what really WAS suppose to happen? – Jeremy

A: I think I may have answered this in a previous mailbag, but no, we never did find out much about the kidnapping. Maybe Joe staged the whole thing himself in order to get the hell out of TNA, which has done everything to kill his character dead since the program with Kurt Angle. Of course, that doesn’t explain why he just re-signed a new deal with the company. Can you say Stockholm syndrome?

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

Sound Off 139: Kaval’s Lump of Coal Makes Me Ashamed of WWE

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 139)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 62 minutes

It’s the 2010 Christmas show! Solomonster rants on Kaval’s release from WWE and why they’re responsible even if he asked for it, CM Punk attacks John Cena, Dolph Ziggler impresses, WWE ranks the top 10 best submission specialists and leave out one important name, and more! Happy holidays!!!

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NXT Season 2 Winner Kaval Released By WWE

Late this afternoon, WWE released the following on their website:

“World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of WWE SmackDown Superstar Kaval (Brandon Silvestry) as of today, December 23, 2010. We wish Kaval the best in all future endeavors.”

Kaval had wrestled as Low Ki for years on the independents, including Ring of Honor, and also competed as Senshi for a time in TNA. He was the winner of NXT season 2 and a member of the Smackdown roster.

Read More About Kaval’s WWE Release:

MAILBAG: Is The Undertaker Planning To Leave WWE for UFC?

SEScoops Mailbag for December 23rd

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: When will we see Vince McMahon on TV again? Now that his wife’s campaign is over, I read that he is playing a larger role in the company again and also signed a new “talent” contract with WWE. Also, it’s well known that Vince is not a fan of tag team wrestling. Are we to expect the tag team division to be phased out and the titles retired? – Nolan

A: Hopefully, we won’t see Vince back on TV for some time. He works best in small doses at this point. As for “phasing out” the tag team division, I might ask what tag team division are you talking about? The Usos may be their only legitimate team remaining and they’re treated like jobbers. Vince has been phasing out their tag ranks for quite some time now, but I don’t think they will ever retire the titles. How else then would they recycle the oft-used storyline of feuding superstars forced to team up as reluctant partners who happen to win the belts?

Q: You guys reported a couple of weeks ago the Vince McMahon signed a new contract with WWE, but can be fired. I thought he owns the company? How can he be fired and why did he sign a new contract? – Brian Pulley

A: WWE is a publically traded company now and has been since 1999. It will of course never happen, but he can, in fact, be terminated with sufficient support from Board members. I find it interesting that his new contract stipulates that were he to be fired, he would retain all intellectual property rights to his name and character, a luxury not often afforded to his other performers. Can you imagine Vince showing up in TNA one night and Mike Tenay shouting, “Holy shit, what’s Vance McMuffin doing in the Impact Zone!?”

Q: Was Magnum T.A. supposed to be “The Next Big Thing” (yes pun intended) before the unfortunate car wreck that ended his career? – Andrew

A: Yes, many people viewed Terry Allen as a future NWA champion, and he likely would have been. That said, there are also many people who feel that Magnum was somewhat overrated and lacked the necessary promo ability to truly get himself over to that next level. Unfortunately, we will never know how far he would have gotten before he wrapped his Porsche around that telephone pole in 1986.

Q: With Undertaker injured and the recent stare down between him and Brock Lesnar, is it possible that Taker will leave WWE and go to UFC?

A: I would love to see a state commission approve a fighting license for a near 50-year old man with bad knees, bad hips and a severely damaged shoulder. No, he’s not going to UFC.

Q: What’s the deal with minorities in WWE? R-Truth was a joke as US champion. He had the belt for like 2 weeks and is doing nothing now. They gave [Jack] Swagger the belt, but not MVP? Cryme Tyme was over with the crowd, but never won the Tag belts, they released Shad and put JTG in a stereotypical “st8 outta bk” segment. Only way Kofi has a chance at the [Smackdown] belt (which isn’t even the main belt) is if they get rid of Michael Hayes. And the crazy thing is I’m bi-racial and I can see WWE discriminates against ethnic groups. – Cam

A: You may be bi-racial, but that’s no excuse for poor grammar. I’m exhausted after editing that question. Sorry, I’m cranky today. If your main point is to argue that WWE places certain minorities in stereotypical, mid-card roles for comedy and that this practice is unfair, then I would agree with you. However, if your argument is that WWE discriminates against black people by holding them down, I would have to disagree. There have been several successful African-American performers in WWE, and frankly, if they think someone can make money for them, they would at least give that person a chance. MVP made a stupid comment backstage to a drug tester and paid the price for it. His race had nothing to do with it. It also sounds like you’re arguing that Michael Hayes is a racist and, therefore, no black people will ever get over on Smackdown. While Hayes has said some dumb things before that have gotten him in hot water, I challenge you to provide evidence of racial discrimination on his part translating into storylines. That’s a pretty strong accusation to levy against someone. At least provide some proof before doing so.

Q: If TNA doesn’t get their act together, can you give us a date of death for TNA? Also, would Vince [McMahon] purchase TNA or let them burn and rot in the abyss of Hell? – Justin

A: Nice Abyss reference there, buddy. My guess is Vince would make a play to buy their video library for WWE’s upcoming cable network, as well as their intellectual property (i.e. event titles, logos, etc). As for TNA’s date of death, it’s either the day Spike TV pulls the plug on their deal or Bob Carter decides he’s tired of losing money.

Q: Why don’t Asians get pushed in WWE? Will an Asian ever be the face of the company? – Will

A: If you can find an Asian that can talk, wrestle, make all of his media commitments and happens to be at least 6-feet tall, then yes, he can be the face of WWE.

Q: Given the recent events surrounding Nexus, do you see the ‘beginning of the end’ for them, and if not, when do you see it? Personally, as I have posted numerous times on this very website, I think if Vince McMahon wanted us to really take them seriously, they would have won at SummerSlam. – Superstar Nick Adams

A: As I understand it, WWE had booking plans already set for Nexus through February (at least as of a few weeks ago), so we haven’t seen the last of them yet. Losing at Summerslam to Team WWE stalled their momentum a lot, but rest assured, Vince was behind Nexus all the way and wanted them to succeed. It was like his little pet project. I think they just fell victim to the “happy ending” syndrome (funny how I write that after the Asian question) in wanting to send the fans home happy at the end of the pay-per-view.

Q: I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but I was just wondering why Jerry “The King” Lawler has been getting a real big push as of late and become a lot more vocal to how things have been going on Raw? – Kieran A.

A: I’m not aware of any particular reason, though I do find it odd that of all the times to finally use Lawler in an active role, they do so when he’s still recovering from a staph infection in his knee. My only hope is that all of this leads to him getting his long overdue match at WrestleMania. It doesn’t have to be a major match on the card either, but the guy deserves it and has legitimately been bugging Vince McMahon about it for years.

Q: Has John Cena ever lost a match at WrestleMania? – Shane

A: Yes, Cena was pinned in a “Triple Threat” match against Randy Orton and Triple H for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 24. Some say the Gods cried that day.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

ROH on HDNet Featuring a $10,000 HOLIDAY GAUNTLET!

Here are the quick results from last night’s ROH on HDNet:

-Jim Cornette announces the HOLIDAY GAUNTLET. Out of a hat with 16 of the top names in ROH, they chose 8. Similar to a Royal Rumble, those 8 individuals would compete in the order in which their names were drawn with the winner getting $10,000.

Jay Briscoe vs. Rhett Titus vs. Steve Corino vs. Christoper Daniels vs. Davey Richards vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero vs. Roderick Strong

Briscoe draws number 1, Corino draws number 2
-Briscoe def. Corino with a rollup at 5:41. Afterwards, the referee asks for the Code of Honor to be followed and instead of shaking Jay’s hand, Corino cheap shots him. A fine heel.

Christopher Daniels draws number 3
-Daniels def. Briscoe by pinfall after countering the Jay Driller and countering with the Angels Wings at 12:45.

Rhett Titus draws number 4
-Daniels def. Titus by pinfall with the Best Moonsault Ever at 19:04.

Davey Richards draws number 5
-Richards def. Daniels by pinfall after an overhead German suplex and Buzzsaw kick at 26:06.

Claudio Castagnoli draws number 6
-Richards def. Castagnoli by pinfall after countering a Ricola Bomb into a sunset flip at 32:04.

Chris Hero draws number 7
-Richards def. Hero by pinfall after Hero tried to use the loaded elbow pad and Davey countered into a small package at 39:12. After the match, Richards goes after Shane Hagadorn and gets clocked by Hero with the elbow pad for good measure.

ROH champion Roderick Strong draws number 8
-Strong def. Richards via pinfall with the running forearm and the Sick Kick at 43:45.

Technically, only one match this week and on a roughly hour-long show, it goes nearly 45 minutes. If you’re a wrestling fan, that’s awesome. If you’re a member of the CeNation, this probably wasn’t the show for you.

-Next week’s ROH on HDNet will be a Best of 2010 clip show.

Sound Off 138: Batista’s Daughter Sucks and Cena Released?

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 138)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 62 minutes

Solomonster previews TLC, discusses ROH Final Battle, rips on the Slammy Awards and who REALLY should have been Superstar of the Year, Juan Cena released, Jeff Hardy wrestling under the influence, Perry Saturn resurfaces, Batista’s daughter sucks (literally) and is it a BELT or a TITLE? Download. Right. Now.

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

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Final Battle 2010 Results, Generico Ends Steen’s ROH Career

Here are the quick results for tonight’s Ring of Honor “Final Battle” show from New York City:

-The All Night Express def. Kyle O’Reilly & Adam Cole with their Blockbuster/Powerbomb combo.

-Colt Cabana def. TJ Perkins, reversing a pin attempt into a sunset flip for the victory.

-Sara Del Rey & Serena Deeb def. Daizee Haze & Amazing Kong after Del Ray delivered two piledrivers to Haze.

-Eddie Edwards def. Sonjay Dutt (replacement for the injured Kenny Omega) with a 2K1 Bomb.

-Homicide def. ROH TV Champion Christopher Daniels in a non-title match with the Gringo Cutter.

-Jay, Mark & Papa Briscoe def. The Kings Of Wrestling & Shane Hagadorn with a Doomsday Device on Hagedorn. Papa (Mike) Briscoe beat the holy hell out of Hagedorn and even busted out a hurancanrana during the match.

-Roderick Strong def. Davey Richards to retain the ROH World Title after Davey passed out in the Stronghold and the match was stopped. They seemed to be playing up a possible concussion angle after the bout with a groggy Richards not realizing the match was over.

-El Generico def. Kevin Steen by pinfall after a wicked chairshot to the head. The finish had Generico threaten Steen with the same chair that started their feud a year ago. Steen begged for mercy and handed Generico the original mask he had taken from him. Generico pasted him with the chair anyway.

MAILBAG: Displaying A Love/Hate Relationship With TNA Impact!

SEScoops Mailbag for December 17th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: I’m sitting here watching the end of Impact for the first time in a long while, and I must admit, I was pretty impressed with the Jarrett MMA challenge angle. If they actually follow through on this and go for a big pay-off between Angle and Jarrett down the line, that would be huge. Of course, with Russo and Bischoff, et al. in the driver’s seat, one cannot rule out the possibility that this is leading to absolutely nothing. What are your thoughts? – Tim S.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: After receiving this mostly complimentary question regarding TNA, we received this follow-up from the same reader, a fine example of how TNA tends to drive most people absolutely nutty with its booking)

Now that I’ve actually seen the end of Impact, I remember why I lost interest in the first place: TNA has the most disorganized, clusterf*ck roster and booking style in wrestling. They’re almost the opposite extreme from the WWE, who can’t go a single week without a show centered around John Cena. TNA has some of the best wrestlers in the world, but instead of matches that showcase that talent, we get lame ass gimmicks and completely predictable run-ins for EVERY match. – Tim S.

A: It’s an interesting angle, and I did get a kick out of the video they posted online a few weeks ago showing Jarrett tapping out little kids at a dojo (hmm that doesn’t sound right). That said, the fact that Jeff Jarrett is suddenly an MMA expert after a few weeks is comical, though that may be the point of the entire angle. Building to a submission match with Kurt Angle is the best way to go and it sounds like the two of them will be having an “exhibition” at their January PPV.

Q: If Brock Lesnar was still in WWE, do you think John Cena would have been as successful? – Brian

A: I don’t really see what one has to do with the other. I don’t think Lesnar would want to work in a PG-WWE anyway (the same reason Batista gives for leaving), but my guess is they would have been kept on separate brands and Cena would have become a big star regardless.

Q: Two questions for you: Is there a legit chance that WWE will put Owen Hart in the Hall Of Fame while they are on good terms with Bret Hart, perhaps as a way to also smooth things over with Owen’s widow? Also, when Owen and Bret Hart feuded, they had some classic matches. Do you think by splitting up Tyson Kidd and Harry Smith they are trying to create the same sort of matches? – Matt Cross

A: Being on good terms or not with Bret has little to do with putting Owen in the Hall of Fame. WWE is still tied up in litigation with Martha, Owen’s widow, and so long as that continues, there’s no chance of him being inducted. Once everything is settled, there’s a better chance, but they will never be able to smooth things over with Martha. She has nothing but contempt for Vince McMahon and WWE. As for the Hart Dynasty, I’d love to see them have classic matches in the same vein as Bret and Owen, but sadly, that is not what WWE has in mind. In fact, I think their greatest goal in all of this is likely just to get Tyson’s new bodyguard, Jackson Andrews, over with the audience. There’s nothing wrong with trying to get over new talent, but great wrestling matches between the two former partners is not going to be their priority.

Q: Do you think Kane and Miz vs. Undertaker and Randy Orton for the World and WWE titles would make for a good WrestleMania match? – Mark V.

A: I’m not a fan of singles titles, let alone your two top titles at that, being decided in tag team matches. They should be decided in SINGLES matches. I know, what a concept. Beyond that, I don’t like the idea of wasting Undertaker or Miz in tag team matches on the biggest show of the year. It would only make sense for Taker if he is unable to fully recover from his recent shoulder surgery in time and can’t do a singles match.

Q: If you were Vince McMahon and could sign a few talents away from TNA, who would they be? My choices would be Fortune (at least Beer Money) and Matt Morgan. By the way, do these guys get paid well? Why wouldn’t they go to WWE to get paid better and more exposure? – Gerardo I.

A: I’d try to get my hands on Beer Money, the Machine Guns and Generation Me for the express purpose of trying to reinvigorate the tag team scene in WWE. As for the pay scale in TNA, it differs based on your position on the card just as it would anywhere else. Someone like Shark Boy is not getting paid nearly as well as Kurt Angle. I believe many guys are working on a per night deal, whereas others have contracts, but no one is making even close to what the top-tier main eventers are pulling in WWE. To answer the last part of your question, many guys in TNA find the schedule far more attractive and less demanding than WWE, which will sometimes trump more money or added exposure. Cheap plug alert, but I would suggest you download Sound Off 127, available in the Audio section on this very website. It’s an entire podcast devoted to evaluating most every aspect of WWE’s business model, including which TNA and ROH talents I would make a play for.

Q: Do you think WWE would ever try to adopt the Suicide character considering TNA got rid of him? – Jayson

A: Absolutely not. Suicide is a trademarked TNA character and, besides, we all know how Vince McMahon feels about using characters than he himself did not help create.

Q: Can WWE file another motion against the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and regain the rights to use the initials WWF, at the very least if not for use as a logo, then for rights to use it in their DVDs and home videos? I’m really distracted, annoyed and bothered because of the WWF scratch logo blurring/muting and I watch them reluctantly and in discomfort. – Jack White

A: I suppose they could try, but at this point, it wouldn’t be worth the cost in legal fees. They’ve adjusted rather well to using the WWE initials and while I agree that it’s very annoying to see the blurring in all the Attitude Era footage, it’s just something we all have to deal with. If you’re doing something reluctantly and are in great discomfort, I would suggest not partaking in said activity.

Q: How come WWE didn’t trademark Jeff Hardy’s old theme music? I’ve been hearing it in the background of a lot of other TV shows lately. – Ryan Begley

A: That might have something to do with the fact that WWE did not create the song themselves. In fact, it was being used in TV promos before they ever started using it as music for the Hardys (which would also be why it was never released as part of any WWE albums). It’s what is called “stock” or production music.

Q: When is NXT taped? Also, why can’t WWE show the Attitude Era logo, but it’s okay for them to use the earlier logos? – Josh H.

A: NXT is taped just prior to Smackdown on Tuesdays. As for the scratch logo, that is the one the UK courts banned, I suppose because the wildlife fund folks claimed it was causing confusion in the marketplace (not sure I agree as their own logo looks nothing like that one). For whatever reason, they ruled it was fine for them to continue using the old block letter logos.

Q: I was wandering your thoughts on who the best fighter of the year is between WWE and UFC and your thoughts a title unification between Kane and Kane velazques? then edge could beat two Kane’s lol. Why lesnars managers took away the f 5 special, he would still be champion if he used it against Kane. – Eric

A: This was a real question. I’m sad the Slammies are over and I could not nominate this question for “Knucklehead of the Year”. I’d love to hear his acceptance speech.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

ROH Cancels Fight Without Honor For “Final Battle” in NYC?

-Late this evening, Ring of Honor announced the “cancellation” of its Fight Without Honor for this weekend’s “Final Battle 2010” iPPV between Kevin Steen and El Generico. Instead, they are now billing the Career vs. Mask match as an UNSANCTIONED affair, as they say, “with ROH released from all obligation, liability, tax, etc.”

This is the company’s storyline explanation for why the Steen vs. Generico match will go on last during the show, as opposed to the World title match pitting challenger Davey Richards against Roderick Strong. All told, the show will feature 7 matches and will stream live on GoFightLive.tv this Saturday, December 18th, from the Manhattan Center in New York City. To order the event, click HERE.

-Kenny Omega suffered an ankle injury this past week and has been bumped from his scheduled match against Eddie Edwards this Saturday. ROH is expected to announce Omega’s replacement shortly.

-Jerry Lynn, who has been flown in to work as an agent at some recent ROH on HDNet tapings, is not expected to be backstage at “Fina Battle” this weekend. Lynn, 47, is still recovering from back surgery stemming from a slipped disc he suffered while training for a match with Rob Van Dam at TNA’s “Hardcore Justice” PPV in August. You may recall, Lynn was unable to compete at the show and Sabu was chosen as a last minute replacement.

Ring of Honor on HDNet Quick Results, Latest Video Wire Posted

Here are the quick results from last night’s ROH on HDNet:

1) Jim Cornette interviewed Davey Richards in the ring. Cornette announced the Kings of Wrestling vs. American Wolves for Plymouth, MA on December 17th and said it would be the final match for the Wolves. Roderick Strong and Truth Martini came out with Strong telling Davey he would wake up after Final Battle with the feeling of letting down the fans, as well as his dead grandfather.

2) Daizee Haze def. Taeler Hendrix in 3:25 with a German Suplex.

3) “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen def. Kory Chavis in 4:09 with a Package Piledriver. Prior to the match, Steen cut a promo for his Final Battle showdown with El Generico, speaking to Generico’s mask.

4) ROH World Champion Roderick Strong (w/ Truth Martini) def. Austin Aries in 15:21 with a Sick Kick following a Gibson Driver.

-The latest ROH Video Wire for December 13th can now be viewed HERE.

Sound Off 137: Stand Back, There’s A Jackass Coming Through!

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 137)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Solomonster has some words of advice for Shane Helms and discusses his rant on HBK, Jeff Hardy’s interesting week, a bad Raw show and the greatness of CM Punk, Paul Bearer’s demise, Strange Days with Bob Saget, the angle that sparked WrestleMania, Southland Tales, Macho Man’s first retirement and more! A loaded show, so stop wasting time and download it!

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MAILBAG: Is WWE Preparing for an Ultimate Warrior Return?

SEScoops Mailbag for December 10th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: You said previously you were unsatisfied with Michael Cole and his heel persona with the angle seemingly having no real direction. Maybe it isn’t part of a storyline. Maybe they just realized that a lot of people disliked Cole and it made more sense to turn him into a jerk to give the announce booth some dichotomy and give the audience a reason to dislike him. Bobby Heenan and JBL were very good at this. The announce teams have always been more interesting with different personalities and the lack of this type of character makes the commentary seem stale in comparison. Just a thought. – Christopher A.

A: I have no problem with having an old school face/heel dynamic in the announce booth. Here’s where I have a problem with your argument. You say Bobby Heenan and JBL were very good at this, and they were. In fact, Heenan was the best. However, both men were active performers at one time and merely carried those personalities over into their commentary. Michael Cole is NOT a performer. He’s not even the color guy, he’s the “voice” of WWE as their primary play-by-play announcer, the man that we’re supposed to listen to when he tries to sell us on buying the next pay-per-view. If I hate this man, why should I listen to what he says? If they’re going somewhere with this and can make money off heel Michael Cole, then that’s fine. But so far, there’s no indication they have an actual end game (unless he replaces Alex Riley as manager for The Miz) and the way he switches from heel to face is both confusing and unproductive. If you want dichotomy in the announce booth, let CM Punk do his heel shtick (or better yet, let Jerry Lawler do it like he used to do) and let Cole play the role of Monsoon/McMahon/Ross. At the end of the day, it’s stupid that we’re arguing about getting the announcers over when we should be talking about getting over the actual talent. A good announcer would not BE the story, they would sell the story.

Q: Why does the WWE keep releasing good, young superstars? They release MVP, Caylen Croft, Luke Gallows, Vance Archer and Matt Hardy (not young, but has his release even been confirmed?) What could be the purpose of this? – Mark V.

A: Talent deserves some of that blame, as well. Of the names you mentioned, MVP and Matt Hardy both requested their release from the company. WWE did not want to let them go. Of course, they wouldn’t push them either, but they didn’t want them to leave. I think Gallows deserved better and as for Croft and Archer, they were never really given a chance. The purpose of these cuts is primarily budgetary and it’s not always fair, but life is not fair.

Q: Me and my friend have a bet. I say Edge and Christian were “brothers” in WWE and my friend says they weren’t. Who is right? – Steve D.

A: You would be correct, sir. Of course, WWE now acknowledges their characters as being childhood friends and not brothers, which is completely ridiculous.

Q: Two part question: 1. Which would you rather see at WrestleMania, CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan, Daniel Bryan vs Kaval, or CM Punk vs Kaval? 2. How would you book the match? – Trey A.

A: I’d book it as CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kaval under traditional “3-Way Dance” elimination rules, not the silly way WWE does Triple Threat matches. As for how I’d book it, give them 15-20 minutes and a finish and let them work their magic.

Q: Who was the “murderer” of Mr. McMahon when his limo exploded? I never found out because of the Benoit tragedy. – Ricardo M.

A: Chris Benoit basically murdered the Mr. McMahon angle. After that, it was dropped and they never bothered to reveal who the culprit would have really been. It’s one time I actually agree with dropping a stupid storyline and not giving us a payoff. Better to move on and forget it ever happened.

Q: I was just wondering what the chances are that we will ever see The Ultimate Warrior making an appearance in any capacity for WWE? I never thought I’d see him in the Raw opening and it happened. He was a big part of WWE history. Has there been any contact between him and Vince since the Hall of Fame interaction a while back? – Chuck Rall

A: I’m not aware of any dialogue between the two sides since the Hall of Fame stuff a from a while back. For some background, WWE reached out to Warrior about being part of last year’s Hall of Fame class and there was direct contact between him and Vince that sounded somewhat positive, especially when you consider how litigious the two sides have been with one another in recent years. Warrior even spoke publicly as rumored abounded and sounded open to the idea, but claims Vince never bothered calling him back to follow up. The fact is this, WWE recognizes that they’re running out of big names to put into the Hall of Fame (big names willing to go in, anyway) and they definitely want Warrior in there. It’s simply a matter of the two sides coming together on money, most likely, and I do believe he will eventually go in and we will need subtitles for his acceptance speech.

Q: I was thinking back to just before the Hardys started their feud last year, how did Jeff survive the fireworks? – Harrison M.

A: Sorry, but I literally laughed out loud at how this question was phrased. What you’re referring to is the angle shot on Smackdown where Jeff was coming out for a match and while doing his pre-match posing routine (a/k/a having a seizure) on top of the ramp, his fireworks went haywire and lit him up like a Christmas tree. Obviously, it was all staged and very well-coordinated by their pyro people. Jeff had also wet himself down with water, as he usually does, before coming out, which would help keep the flames from actually burning his skin. Ironically, Jeff was the unfortunate recipient of a fireball to the face not too long ago in TNA at the hands of James Storm, a stunt that did not go exactly as planned and as a result, Jeff suffered burns and had his eyebrows singed. I really wish they would stay away from angles involving fire because it’s not worth the risk.

Q: When Tara said in her interview that more WWE stars will be going to TNA in the future, that made me wonder. I know Christian jumped ship from WWE to TNA, then back again, and so did R-Truth. Recently, it seems more ex-WWE stars have been jumping to back to WWE, but I was just wondering if it was likely in the future near or far that any TNA stars would try to make the jump to WWE? – Kieran A.

A: All due respect to Tara, she’s full of shit when she says their crew is so much more at ease backstage than it is in WWE. There has been much talk about how unhappy many folks are in TNA right now, for a variety of reasons. Now, I’m not saying you don’t have unhappy people backstage in WWE as well, you do for sure (as evidenced by people requesting their release), but TNA used to be a place where a WWE guy could go and be far less stressed and far more happy, but that’s not the case anymore. Booker T was very happy when he arrived in TNA and it didn’t take long for his demeanor to change. Mick Foley has openly voiced his displeasure with TNA in recent interviews and how he does not see himself staying when his contract expires next year. As for TNA stars coming over to WWE, it’s certainly possible, but I haven’t heard of anyone in particular coming over in the near future. With Samoa Joe’s contract expiring, it looks like he is likely going to renew with TNA, which is a shame because while I don’t have full confidence WWE would know what to do with him, there’s potential there for him to get over huge. He used to be a hot commodity and has cooled off tremendously because TNA doesn’t know what to do with him and he’s not a priority under the Bischoff/Hogan regime.

Q: Recently, I watched a tribute video for The Eliminators and wow, they had something there, but then Saturn got hurt and left ECW. What I’d like to know is what tag teams were close to being in the discussion of greatest ever, but never got the chance to reach their full potential either due to injury, management breaking them up or holding them down? – Andrew Betts

A: This is an impossible question to answer. Plus, if they were already in the discussion of greatest ever, they likely either reached their full potential or came close. Edge and Christian may be a good example. They were a very successful, entertaining team for well over two years before WWE broke them up. Obviously, they each went on to success as singles stars, but should they have been kept together longer? JeriShow is another example. Here’s a team that nobody thought would work as well as they did, but they got the act over, made the Tag Team belts meaningful again and then broke up. Who’s to say that Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas would not have earned the distinction of world’s greatest tag team (hell, that was their name!) if they were pushed harder and kept together. There’s simply no clear cut answer.

Q: I’ve read multiple reports that Vince McMahon is high on Ring of Honor. If he puts his ego aside, could WWE have a working relationship with ROH? – Justin S.

A: Vince may be high on a lot of things (well, maybe not as much as RVD), but I don’t think ROH is one of them. Which is not to suggest that he hates ROH or is unaware of its existence, but it’s not a priority for him. Others in the upper hierarchy of the company definitely monitor ROH. Personally, I think it would be an excellent idea to partner with ROH in some capacity and would be a win/win for both companies. I know Vince does not want to have anything to do with another wrestling company that has TV, which ROH does, but it’s available in far fewer homes than either WWE or TNA. For WWE, they have the ability to scout and use some great talents, while ROH gets to use WWE performers on limited shows and boost their business a bit, not unlike the arrangement Vince made with Paul Heyman and ECW in the mid-nineties.

Q: Just watched Raw and saw Miz searching for a table. When he pulled up the ring skirt on the entrance side, there was a bucket full of drinks on ice. What gives? – Ryan Begley

A: I’m fairly certain it’s there for the ring crew and announcers, if they should need a drink at any point during the broadcast. That, or they just want to be prepared if Steve Austin should randomly show up and demand a beer. Wouldn’t want to make him angry.

Q: I have two questions: why did it take the World Wildlife Fund so long to file a lawsuit forcing the WWF/WWE transition? Second, where did WWE find Trish Stratus? – Nate24

A: It wasn’t that they waited around over 20 years before acting, it was that in their eyes, Vince McMahon violated the 1994 agreement they had in place regarding international use of the WWF initials. As for Trish Stratus, WWE was made aware of her modeling and fitness work and offered her a contract. She had been a wrestling fan as a child and obviously had some aptitude for it as she went on to become one of the most successful female performers of her generation.

Q: When will WWE stars face TNA stars? – Richard Agosto

A: Either when they defect to TNA or vice versa. That’s about the only way that’s ever going to happen.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

Sound Off 136: Are Cole and Lawler Pitching For a Ross Return?

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Solomonster returns from near death to talk MVP’s release, King of the Ring, Lawler’s bid for the WWE Title, a possible announcer shakeup, Kaitlyn wins NXT and season 4 rookies announced, TNA Final Resolution and tons of Q&A from the best listeners in the world! Leave feedback below in the comments section.

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MVP Released From World Wrestling Entertainment

The following was posted on WWE.com late this afternoon:

“World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar MVP as of December 2, 2010. WWE wishes MVP the best in all future endeavors.”

MVP made his first appearance on the Smackdown brand in 2006 and is perhaps best known for his U.S. title feuds during that time with Chris Benoit and Matt Hardy. He also had a short-lived stint on the Raw brand before being drafted back to Smackdown as part of this year’s Supplemental Draft. He had recently debuted new theme music on TV.

More on this story as it develops.

***UPDATE***
Based on comments made on his Twitter account, it appears MVP went to WWE and asked for his release, which was granted to him. He has expressed great interest in the past in wrestling in Japan, and more specifically, competing against Masahiro Chono, so it should come as no surprise that he has also made a Twitter comment about “going international” and freshening things up.

SEScoops Mailbag: Who Wins Streak vs. Mask At WrestleMania?

SEScoops Mailbag for December 2nd

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: I have a question about the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. Was he always scheduled to be undefeated at WM or did he get a string of victories and they just figured they’d keep him undefeated? – Mccall102

A: It was not something they planned from the beginning. As a matter of fact, I don’t recall them even acknowledging the fact he was undefeated until he beat Triple H to go 9-0 at WrestleMania X7. They just sort of lucked into a great marketing gimmick.

Q: When is HBK going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? – Anonymous

A: 2012 at the earliest. You know WWE is going to make a play for Shawn to wrestle again, but the likelihood of him doing that so soon after retiring is slim. Their best bet would be to wait 2-3 years and then pitch him a storyline idea that would have him wrestle a match at Mania and be inducted into the HOF that same year. WM30 at Madison Square Garden, anyone?

Q: Why is Kurt Angle considered to be so great in TNA? Also, wouldn’t it be just AWESOME to see Triple H jump ship over to TNA!!?? – William Bell

A: You are mistaken. Kurt Angle has always been considered great, be it in TNA or WWE. Injured or not, the man always goes out there and has excellent matches. He’s just that good. What makes him such an asset to TNA is his ability to work with their younger talent and make them better. As for Triple H, I don’t know that it would be quite as “awesome” for TNA as you may think. Besides, Dixie doesn’t have any daughters old enough for him.

Q: Why does WWE always downgrade movesets? Like John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Kaval, RVD, etc. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still good, but when they were in other companies, they were better. – Brian Collins

A: Do explain what other companies John Cena worked for, and with an expanded moveset to boot! As far as guys like Punk, Danielson and Kaval are concerned, they were all Ring of Honor guys who worked a very different style than is allowed in WWE. They worked a stiffer, more realistic style of wrestling that does not fit with WWE’s “safe style” of performing. Also, stars are sometimes unable to utilize certain moves if they are already being used by another person on the roster. If anything, someone like Daniel Bryan not being able to wrestle his usual style and STILL getting over big is a testament to how great he really is. The cream always rises to the top.

Q: How long have referees been wearing those ear pieces and what exactly is fed to them? – Dennis

A: The WWE referees have been wearing ear pieces for well over a decade now. They are fed important information about time cues, such as how much time is left in the match or how much time is left until the TV show fades to black. They will often let the wrestlers know when it’s time to “go home” or if a finish has changed on the fly, which doesn’t happen often, but has been known to happen from time to time. Also, pay close attention and you will sometimes notice, on Raw for example, after a wrestler wins a match and is posing, if they are not standing in just the right spot, the referee will whisper something in their ear and they will suddenly shift over to a different spot. These instructions are often coming directly from Vince McMahon or Kevin Dunn in the production truck.

Q: How long does Vince McMahon plan to keep WWE on the air in the future? – Alanna Rall

A: Sorry, Dixie. Vince isn’t going away anytime soon. Nice try.

Q: Do you remember a guy named Moliki (probably spelled it wrong)? WWE built him up for his debut and he was awful, called him “The Albino Undertaker”. He was dressed in white did something stupid with a sword on his way to the ring. Who was he? Where is he now and did he ever get a tan? – Scott Adcock

A: I believe you are referring to Mordecai, who deemed himself on a crusade to rid WWE of all sin. He was, indeed, very pale and would come to the ring with some sort of staff. He made his debut as the 2004 Judgment Day PPV, beating Scotty 2 Hotty. He was being groomed to feud with Undertaker from the outset, but after a match with Hardcore Holly where Holly did nothing to make him look strong at all, WWE soured on those plans and sent him back down to OVW where he was later released. He would return to the company in 2006 as part of the ECW band with a vampire gimmick under the name Kevin Thorn, managed by Shelly Martinez (Ariel). He currently wrestles independently for Frontier Elite Wrestling.

Q: Hypothetically, if Undertaker and Rey Mysterio had a Mask vs. Streak match, who do you think would win? – Eric Overfield

A: They would never book such a match because they don’t want the streak to end, nor is Rey nearly as marketable without the mask. With that out of the way, if I was guest booker for a WrestleMania and this match was made, then Rey goes maskless for the first time since his WCW days because there’s absolutely no chance Taker’s streak comes to an end.

Q: I understand why they have Michael Cole a heel and everything, but why does he pop such a boner for The Miz? – Nate OB

A: I prefer not to answer questions that involve the words Michael Cole and boner in the same sentence, but something you said struck me. You say you understand why WWE has Michael Cole acting like a heel. If that’s the case, I would love for you to share that with me because they have done NOTHING to follow-up on his heelish tendencies of the last several months. On NXT, he simply began ragging on Daniel Bryan for being a nerd and since that time, he’s slowly become more of a full-fledged heel character without any explanation at all. I’ve been waiting for a payoff to this angle and have gotten no such thing. At this point, I’m not convinced they even know where they’re going with this and it’s incredibly frustrating. It would make little sense for Cole to reveal himself as the Raw GM at this point, so if that’s not the end game here, then I don’t understand why they’ve converted their top play-by-play announcer into someone who can’t be taken seriously, especially when it comes to selling PPV shows to the audience. Message to WWE: go somewhere with this angle or STOP ALREADY.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

SEScoops Mailbag: The Greatest Managers in Wrestling History?

SEScoops Mailbag for November 27th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: What happened to Saturday Night’s Main Event? It just sort of disappeared. – Ryan Begley

A: WWE was contracted for a certain number of quarterly specials on NBC and I believe they have fulfilled that obligation. More importantly, Saturday Night’s Main Event was ratings poison for the network, although to be fair, Saturday night is one of the worst nights for first-run TV programming. 25 years ago, the show was a big hit for WWE and allowed the company to feature special matches on network TV that fans could not see anywhere else. Now with 9 hours of fresh programming to produce each week, it is no longer relevant.

Q: Who would you classify as the top 10 managers in wrestling history? – Andrew B.

A: Well, that’s a loaded question. Instead of naming 10, why don’t I just name some of the greatest? Bobby “The Brain” Heenan would be at the top of anyone’s list and if he isn’t at the top of yours, then put down the crack pipe for a second. In the early days of managing, Bobby truly did manage the affairs (travel and such) for his men and always did everything in his power to get his men over, especially the ones who were not particularly good at promos. He was also a great bump-taker, which did his neck no favors years later. Jim Cornette is also high up on the list and had that rare gift of gab that few performers have. He would generate genuine “I want to see this guy get killed tonight” heel heat that people would pay money for. Paul Bearer (a/k/a Percy Pringle III) is Hall of Fame-worthy as well, and might have done his best work in WCCW before he even became Paul Bearer in WWE. Other notable names include Lou Albano, Gary Hart, Jimmy Hart and Sherri Martel. I only wish Vince McMahon were more open-minded to the idea of bringing back wrestling managers. There are lots of guys on the current roster who would benefit greatly from having one (Big Zeke on Raw comes to mind).

Q: Do you have any update on Brett DiBiase’s return from injury? Is he likely to be on our screens anytime soon? – CJ

A: Brett is the youngest of the DiBiase sons. He torn the ACL in his knee during an FCW event back on April 29th and has been sidelined since undergoing surgery for the injury in May. At the time, he was just about to be promoted to the main roster as part of a heel faction with his brother Ted and Joe Hennig (oh I’m sorry, Michael McGillicutty) called The Fortunate Sons. He’s very close to returning, but will likely need to work out any ring rust down in FCW first before getting a second look for the main roster.

Q: Do you think Vince McMahon himself (if given the powers he’s had with WWE) would be able to turn TNA around and turn them into an exciting and marketable product like he did with WWE? If for no other reason but to prove a point to himself that he still, at 65 years of age, has the ability to turn a lowly wrestling promotion on its last legs into a somewhat decent success. – Kid Fisto

A: If Vince McMahon were in charge of turning around TNA, who are we to doubt that he would be able to do so? Love him or hate him, and lord knows he’s hardly the creative genius some people like to think he is, he is the most successful wrestling promoter in history with a track record that speaks for itself. When it comes to wrestling (not bodybuilding, football, movies or music), Vince knows what he’s doing. With the right resources available to him, and surrounding himself with other knowledgeable people in the business, TNA could only improve. Again, the problem with TNA is not that it needs Vince McMahon running the promotion, it’s that it needs people with real knowledge of the industry in power and a different creative vision. I really believe that with only a few tweaks, they could start turning their fortunes around.

Q: If WWE were to take over TNA, would Raw and Smackdown unify their World champions with the TNA Title? – Richard Agosto

A: What’s with all of the doomsday TNA questions this week? Did I miss something? If WWE were to one day “take over” TNA, there’s no guarantee they would want to do an invasion angle (nor would I trust them to handle it right after 2001). They would not want people to view the TNA Title as being on the same level as their Raw and Smackdown champions, so it’s unlikely there would be any sort of unification.

Q: What does WWE’s imPACT testing consist of? I know John Cena said several months ago after one of his matches that his back was bothering him and that he passed imPACT testing. I’m just curious as to what they do. – Sharla

A: WWE’s imPACT program is actually a concussion management program, one which offers exams that measure the effects of a concussion through cognitive tests. All results are then evaluated by a neuropsychologist. All talents are given a baseline imPACT test and repeat tests annually. If a wrestler shows symptoms of a concussion, they will not be cleared to return to action until they pass an imPACT test and are cleared by a physician. Kudos to WWE for taking this issue seriously, and while TNA does not have an official program in place for concussions, kudos to them as well for keeping Mr. Anderson out through the end of the year following his concussion as a result of Jeff Hardy’s errant chairshot.

Q: My question deals with the sacking of Raven in TNA last week. Raven is one of my all-time favorites and I thought he got a pretty raw deal in the match as he had no entrance, didn’t get to cut a promo before his match and didn’t even get to hit the Evenflow DDT. I know Raven is no longer in good shape, but he could still do a decent ‘Raven Rules’ type match and I felt it was a poor way for an ex-TNA NWA World champion to go out. Do you think Raven would have been good in another role, such as booking for TNA, on commentary or perhaps as a manager for Jeff Hardy? – Johnnie Sonar

A: Raven is a very cerebral guy. He likes to tout the fact that he’s a MENSA member (those with an IQ of 150 and up). That said, perhaps he’d make a good addition to the TNA creative team. After all, he can’t possibly be any worse than Vince Russo. However, Raven’s best in-ring days are behind him. Quite frankly, he looks like shit. I know he’s had drug issues in the past and has fought hard against them. His face definitely shows it. I don’t think he should be used as an on-air character any longer, that includes as a manager. His greatest value may be behind the scenes. Just keep him off my TV.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

Final Battle Notes: Kong Teams With Haze, Homicide Appears

– ROH World TV Champion Eddie Edwards will defend his title against “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels in Louisville, KY on December 10th. Edwards is still recovering from a serious shoulder injury, but apparently, it’s not serious enough to keep him out of action. In addition, he will compete against Kenny Omega in a non-title bout at the company’s big “Final Battle 2010” show on December 18th at the Manhattan Center.

– Word broke this week that Amazing Kong (the former Awesome Kong of TNA fame) will team up with Daizee Haze’s at “Final Battle 2010” against Sara Del Rey and a partner of her choosing. In addition, “The Notorious 187” Homicide will also appear in NYC at the 12/18 show.

Obviously, several ex-TNA talents have found steady work in ROH in recent months. That list of names could grow as TNA considers additional roster adjustments in an effort to cut costs.

(Source: ROHWrestling.com)

SPECIAL: Does Winning King of the Ring Really Help Your Career?

Looking Back At WWE’s King of the Ring

WHO WAS REALLY HELPED BY WEARING THE CROWN?
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

This Monday’s 3-hour edition of Raw from Philadelphia will mark the 19th installment of WWE’s King of the Ring tournament. The event actually began as a house show attraction all the way back in 1985, and it wasn’t until 1993 that it was promoted to pay-per-view status. In 2003, the company decided to abandon the tournament altogether due to declining PPV buys, but has resurrected it a few times since to boost TV ratings.

The purpose of this editorial is to evaluate each of the KOTR winners from 1993 onward and where their career took them subsequent to their winning the crown. Did they move on to bigger and better things? Did they disappear off the face of the earth? Moreover, if they did move on to legendary status, can that be attributed to their victory in this tournament? Of course, there’s no way of knowing for sure, but it makes for an interesting look back as we prepare to crown a new king and is sure to spark some debate in the comments section below.

Before we jump into things, let us not forget the notable names who donned the crown, wore the royal robe and carried the mighty scepter from 1985-1991 (there was no tournament held in ’90 or ’92). These names, in order, include Don Muraco, Harley Race, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Tito Santana and Bret Hart. Some heavy hitters and Hall of Famers in this list, but I doubt anyone is going to attribute their victories here to their later success. Let’s begin!

Bret “The Hitman” Hart

1993 King of the Ring (Dayton, Ohio)

In many ways, this was designed as a consolation gift to Bret after losing the WWF Title in ridiculous fashion a few months earlier at WrestleMania IX. After dropping the title to Yokozuna in the main event off interference by Mr. Fuji, Hulk Hogan ran down to check on the Hitman’s well-being (as if) and a few minutes later, was dropping the leg on the giant Samoan to claim his 5th World championship. It was a creative, yet ludicrous way to get the strap off one babyface and onto another in quick fashion and marginalized Hart as a main eventer. Instead of building towards a Hogan/Hart showdown at Summerslam for the title, Hulk put the kibosh on that and decided to drop the belt back to Yokozuna on this show. As such, Bret was put over strongly in this tournament, having good to great matches with Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow all in one night. The match with Hennig may actually be better than their Summerslam encounter a few years earlier, and the match with Bigelow is HIGHLY underrated. Of course, we all know that during Hart’s coronation, he was interrupted and assaulted by Jerry “The King” Lawler, igniting a feud that would last the better part of two years.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Bret went on to feud with Jerry Lawler for several months before co-winning the Royal Rumble with Lex Luger. He regained the WWF Title from Yokozuna at WrestleMania 10 and would win several more championships before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. A fine career, for sure, but did winning this tournament really have much to do with it? After all, he had already won his first World title (as well as the Intercontinental and Tag belts) before capturing the crown. Verdict: No.

FUN FACT: Hart is still the only person to technically win this tournament twice, if you include his first non-televised victory in 1991 (defeating IRS in the Finals).

Owen Hart

1994 King of the Ring (Baltimore, Maryland)

“The Rocket” had always played second fiddle to big brother Bret and was ready to step out of The Hitman’s shadow. So began a memorable sibling rivalry with Owen defeating Bret at WrestleMania 10 in shocking (clean) fashion. Later that same evening, pulling double duty, Bret won the WWF Title, which put Owen in an interesting position having beaten the new champion only a few hours earlier. He entered the KOTR tournament a few months later, running through Tatanka, 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon en route to the crown. In the Finals, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who had returned as a surprise guest in Bret’s corner for his earlier title defense against Diesel, returned to ringside and turned heel, attacking Ramon and assisting Owen. This led to a memorable coronation where Owen first referred to himself as the “King of Harts”, a name that would stay with him for many years afterwards.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Owen earned himself a shot at the WWF Title against brother Bret inside a Steel Cage at Summerslam only two months later, though that likely had more to do with his WrestleMania win in March. While he fell short in his bid for the belt, he did go on to hold multiple Tag Team titles and the Intercontinental championship. Owen’s untimely death in May 1999 leaves open the question of whether he would have one day won a World title, making his KOTR win one of the more prolific victories of his entire career. If nothing else, it gave rise to the “King of Harts” nickname. Verdict: Yes.

FUN FACT: Retired football star Art Donovan, a local celebrity of sorts, was a guest announcer for the pay-per-view alongside Gorilla Monsoon and Randy Savage. He was atrocious. I mean, he makes Michael Cole sound like Gordon Solie in comparison. Even Monsoon and Savage began ignoring his incessant questions mid-way through the show. He would constantly ask, “How much does ‘dis guy weigh?” everytime a wrestler would appear, without fail. If you should see this man in public (yes, he’s still alive), avoid conversation at all costs.

Mabel (of Men on a Mission)

1995 King of the Ring (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Let’s not beat around the bush here. 1995 was not a kind year to WWE and this show completely sucked. There was not a single good match, not in the tournament itself, nor in any of the other pay-per-view matches, which featured Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler in a “Kiss My Foot” match and a tag team main event of Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid and Tatanka. Maybe it’s appropriate then that Mabel, the 568 pound baggy pajama-wearing half of the Men on a Mission tag team, would win this year’s King of the Ring. I mean, when Shawn Michaels is eliminated from the First Round, it’s really only downhill from there. Defeating both The Undertaker and Savio Vega (he received a bye in the Semi-Finals), Mabel took his place on the royal throne as his partner, now billed as Sir Mo, read a royal proclamation from a scroll, all the while being pelted by garbage from an angry crowd (well, it is Philly after all, what do you expect). What a waste this entire thing was.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

King Mabel was such a stupid character, it’s hard to imagine what Vince McMahon was thinking when he conceived of him as being the top heel in his company. As a result of winning KOTR, Mabel did earn himself a crack at Diesel’s WWF Title at Summerslam, so in that respect, he benefited from winning. However, he lost to Diesel and would never sniff the main event again in his career, later returning as Viscera, a member of Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and, later, a love machine decked out in a Hugh Hefner robe. Thankfully, this was the highlight of his career. Verdict: Fuck no.

FUN FACT: WWE actually had a custom King of the Ring title belt made for Mabel which is still in existence, though I don’t believe he ever wore it on television. To see pictures of the belt, designed by the great Reggie Parks, click here and here.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

1996 King of the Ring (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

This was the first KOTR where only the Semi-Finals and Finals were shown on PPV, which eliminated the emotion of watching someone potentially having to wrestle three times in one night. Just one month after losing his manager, Ted DiBiase, Steve Austin was given a chance to shine on his own, engaging in a terrific battle with “Wildman” Marc Mero that saw him accidentally bust open Austin’s lip. After winning the match, Austin received 16 stitches backstage and returned later to defeat Jake “The Snake” Roberts in short order to take the crown. Then came… the interview. This was the first real opportunity Austin had to speak on his own since his debut on the Brother Love Show months earlier and he made it a memorable occasion. As the “born again” Jake Roberts was being carried out by officials, Austin spoke of John 3:16 and how “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”, sparking a marketing movement the likes of which WWE had not seen since the days of Hulkamania. A star was born on this night.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Stone Cold actually floundered after winning this tournament, defeating Yokozuna in a match on the Summerslam pre-show after the two previous winners had gone on to battle for the World title on that show the last two years. But then came a career-making feud with Bret Hart and eventually the first of several World Titles. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Would he have become a big star without the “Austin 3:16” speech? Most likely. But that phrase came to define the Attitude Era and absolutely benefited Austin for the rest of his career. Verdict: Hell yeah.

FUN FACT: Triple H had been pegged to win the tournament this year, that is until the infamous “Curtain Call” incident took place at MSG a month earlier and Hunter was made to be the scapegoat. Austin got the nod instead and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley

1997 King of the Ring (Providence, Rhode Island)

For the record, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels had a MUCH better singles match on this show than they did at WrestleMania 14. I mean, it’s not even close. People like to talk about how gutsy Michaels was at Mania, doing that match with a broken back, but that doesn’t mean it was a good match. Anyway, it may have been delayed by a year, but Triple H finally got his big KOTR win here, defeating Ahmed Johnson and Mankind. In fact, Hunter had actually LOST to Ahmed via DQ in their Quarter-Final match on TV weeks prior, but complained he was not properly instructed by WWF officials prior to the bout and threatened to sue unless he was given a second chance. He took the place of an injured Vader in a match with Crush and advanced to face Ahmed in a rematch in the Semi-Finals, which he won. So I guess we can trace his political maneuvering all the way back to this tournament.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

The only thing of note that came out of this tournament for Hunter was the start of a feud with Mankind, who he would feud with in various incarnations for years afterward. He lost to Foley in a Steel Cage match at Summerslam after this show, so much like Austin, he too did not get a crack at the WWF Title right away. It would actually be more than two years before he would win his first. He and Michaels would go on to form D-Generation X a few months later, but largely, his victory here meant little to his career. Verdict: Not really.

FUN FACT: This was actually the fifth King of the Ring to emanate from the Providence Civic Center, with the first four held between 1987-91, giving them the honor of hosting the greatest number of tournaments.

Ken Shamrock

1998 King of the Ring (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

This event is notable for two reasons, neither of which include Ken Shamrock’s tournament victory. Kane won his first WWF Title from Steve Austin in a “First Blood” Match while The Undertaker nearly killed Mankind in the most famous “Hell in a Cell” match to this day. Meanwhile, Shamrock defeated Jeff Jarrett and The Rock on this night to take the crown, and his match with The Rock was actually REALLY good. The two men had great chemistry stemming from their feud over the Intercontinental title earlier in the year and it showed here. Behind 1993, this is probably my favorite King of the Ring from top to bottom as it was a very noteworthy show with some great action.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

I never thought Shamrock realized his full potential in the WWF. He could have had a run with the World title, but the closest he ever came was a PPV man event with Shawn Michaels the year prior. Following this tournament, he went on to win the Intercontinental title and became a Tag Team champion with Big Bossman after joining Vince McMahon’s corporate faction. By 2000, he was back doing MMA, though he did become NWA Champion in the early days of Total Nonstop Action. Verdict: No.

FUN FACT: Mick Foley can talk about how that second bump in the “Hell in a Cell” match was not scripted, but he’s full of shit. Do you really think they would climb back up on top of the cage without having another big fall planned? Plus, look at the light manner in which Undertaker chokeslams him (more like shoves him) and we’re supposed to believe he wasn’t meant to fall through? Puh-leeze.

”Badass” Billy Gunn

1999 King of the Ring (Greensboro, North Carolina)

Right in the thick of the boom period, and coming just one month after Raw scored its highest ratings EVER, the WWF decided to use this tournament for the right reasons, to help get one of their mid-card performers over. Unfortunately, they chose Billy Gunn. The guy had a great look and was a decent in-ring performer, but he wasn’t really a good promo and his work never really improved. I give credit to the company for trying, but much like Mabel, this was a wasted opportunity to spotlight someone with real talent. Gunn defeated Ken Shamrock, Kane ad X-Pac in a series of 5-minute matches to win the crown. Elsewhere on the card, Steve Austin lost to Vince & Shane McMahon in a Ladder Match for control of the company and Undertaker retained his WWF Title over The Rock. In a dark match, Meat (Sean Stasiak) defeated Kurt Angle a full five months before losing to Angle in Kurt’s TV debut at Survivor Series. One year later, he would be king. When Kurt is inducted into the Hall of Fame, let’s hope they make no mention of the fact he once lost to a man named Meat. Fuck you, Vince Russo.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Mr. Ass (who did have some catchy theme music) never did get a crack at the World title and the highest profile PPV match he had after this show was his singles bout with The Rock at Summerslam, which did more to bring Rock down a notch than it did to bring Billy up at all. That will forever be remembered as one of Jim Ross’s greatest calls as he exclaimed, “The Rock just put Billy Gunn’s face in that large woman’s ass!” Don’t ask. Verdict: Hahaha.

FUN FACT: The next night on Raw, Steve Austin defeated Undertaker to win back the WWF Title. This would mark the second consecutive year that Austin won the World title the night after KOTR after having beaten Taker’s little brother Kane to do the same thing the year prior.

Kurt Angle

2000 King of the Ring (Boston, Massachusetts)

Less than a year earlier, Angle made his WWF debut. In that time, he had captured both the European and Intercontinental titles. Here, he ran through Chris Jericho, Crash Holly and Rikishi on the same night to become King of the Ring. His star was solidly on the rise and this tournament was a mere stepping stone to greater things. Elsewhere on the card, The Rock won the WWF Title by pinning Vince McMahon in a 6-Man Tag (the third title change in as many months) and Pat Patterson fought Gerald Brisco in a Hardcore Evening Gown match. I can’t even blame Russo for this absurdity as he was already out of the company by this time.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Angle’s landmark first year would continue as he defeated The Rock to win the WWF Title just four months later at No Mercy. Before that, he was square in the middle of a love triangle storyline that also included Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Angle would win many more titles and wrestle 4-5 star matches with the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and others. The crown was incidental in his later success, but it’s still a fine accomplishment to have on his Hall of Fame resume. Verdict: Maybe a little.

FUN FACT: Val Venis defeated both Jeff Hardy and Eddie Guerrero during this tournament. A few weeks later, he defeated Rikishi for the Intercontinental title on Smackdown. I just felt like pointing this out to illustrate that the last big push Val Venis got was 10 years ago. I feel old.

Edge

2001 King of the Ring (East Rutherford, New Jersey)

Before he was the “Rated-R Superstar” with 10 World titles under his belt, Edge was a lowly tag team wrestler. Admittedly, he had a certain look to him that made me think big things were in his future, and I like to still take credit for saying way back in 1998 that he would one day be the heavyweight champion. On this night, Team RECK (Rhyno, Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle) was divided amongst itself as they competed against each other in a pair of Semi-Final matches. In the end, Edge defeated Angle after Kurt had not only wrestled Christian, but also defeated Shane McMahon in a brutal 26 minute streetfight. The man is a freaking machine. In other action, Steve Austin retained his WWF Title in a Triple Threat Match against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. This was the match where Benoit didn’t really injure his neck as per the storyline (he already knew he would need surgery), but I’m sure this didn’t make it feel any better.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Instead of being propelled into contention for the World title, Edge continued teaming with Christian before his “brother” turned on him and they closed out the year feuding over the Intercontinental title. It would be 4½ years before Edge would win his first WWE Title, so I cannot credit this tournament with having anything at all to do with his later success. In retrospect, his Money in the Bank victory was bigger than this. Verdict: No.

FUN FACT: Booker T made his WWE debut on this show as part of the WCW invasion storyline, attacking Steve Austin during the main event and planting him through the Spanish announce table. He also injured Austin legit on the move, which is not the greatest first impression to make.

Brock Lesnar

2002 King of the Ring (Columbus, Ohio)

Has anyone ever had as successful a first year as Brock Lesnar? Kurt Angle comes close, but even he can’t match what Lesnar was able to accomplish since his April debut – winning KOTR, becoming Undisputed WWE champion, winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing WrestleMania (defeating Angle for his second title). With Paul Heyman acting as his agent, Lesnar steamrolled through Test and Rob Van Dam on the PPV to become king. In other action, Kurt Angle became the first man in memory to make a babyface Hulk Hogan cleanly tap out in the middle of the ring, while Undertaker and Triple H had one of the WORST title matches in company history. Omigod.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

How can you say he didn’t? I know I said earlier that Kurt Angle benefited “only a little” from winning the crown, but he had already won titles beforehand. This was Brock’s first major accomplishment in WWE and two months later, he was killing Hulk Hogan on TV and pinning The Rock at Summerslam to win the Undisputed belt. Verdict: Yes.

FUN FACT: This was the show where Steve Austin was to have faced Eddie Guerrero, but Ric Flair took his spot after Austin walked out on the company over a week earlier. Ironically, this all stemmed from a dispute between Austin and WWE where Vince McMahon wanted Austin to lose to the future King Lesnar in a KOTR Qualifier on Raw. Not wanting to give such a big match away for free on TV with no build, Austin refused and the two sides could not reach an agreement.

Booker T

2006 King of the Ring (Phoenix, Arizona)

This was the first televised KOTR tournament not to air on pay-per-view. Matches were held over a one month period, culminating in Booker T defeating Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day. From that point forward, until the end of his WWE career, he used the name “King Booker” with an annoying British accent and formed his own “Court” which included Queen Sharmell, William Regal and Finlay. Two months later, he would win the World title from Rey Mysterio. This was largely a forgettable tournament designed as a gimmick for Booker.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

As I mentioned, Booker went on to win the World title two months later, his last in WWE before departing for TNA later the following year. Much of his success had already come and gone before this tournament, but it was clearly designed to help get over the “King Booker” character. In that respect, it was a success and did wonders to freshen up his already stale character before it got over-the-top aggravating. Verdict: Yes, and we suffered for it.

FUN FACT: This was the first and, to date, only King of the Ring tournament exclusive to the Smackdown brand.

William Regal

2008 King of the Ring (Greenville, South Carolina)

After an absence the year prior, the KOTR tournament was resurrected on Raw in 2008, though unlike last time, it was open to stars from Raw, Smackdown and ECW. It was among the worst tournaments the company has ever hosted, with William Regal defeating Hornswoggle in under 20 seconds in the opening round. After a KO victory over Finlay in a short match, he went on to defeat CM Punk in the Finals in a disappointing four minute match. At the time, Regal was serving as Raw General Manager (remember when they weren’t anonymous?), enjoying a great amount of TV time and thriving in the role. After winning the crown, one would think even bigger things were in his future, perhaps even a run with the title. Think again.

Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

Regal was a hit in the role of Raw GM and was garnering heat the likes of which would not be seen until Vickie Guerrero started getting over in that same role on Smackdown. After winning KOTR, as hot as he was, it’s not out of the realm of possibility WWE could have given him a run with the Raw title. Unfortunately, he promptly failed his second Wellness exam, resulting in a 60-day suspension from which he never fully recovered. I can’t blame WWE for not pushing Regal upon his return, he really has no one to blame but himself. Verdict: Never had the chance.

FUN FACT: On this same edition of Raw, “Barack Obama” battled “Hilary Clinton” to a no contest. Sports entertainment at its finest, folks.

AND THE 2010 KING WILL BE…

[WARNING: Spoilers for Friday’s show are included.]
The latest installment of the King of the Ring returns to Philly this Monday and will include an even spread of four stars each from Raw and Smackdown. Representing Raw will be Sheamus, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan and Ezekiel Jackson, while Smackdown gives us Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston. Without the benefit of knowing what the brackets will be, it’s tough to make a prediction. Despite the fact that Raw will once again have THREE HOURS to fill, I’m positive we’ll end up with a bunch of 3-minute matches, which is a shame as there is some great talent here that can really go. If I had to pick one name from each brand, I’d go with Sheamus and Del Rio. There have been a disproportionate number of heel winners dating back to 1994 (in contrast to the Royal Rumble, which shows the opposite pattern), so while not an indicator of anything definite, it’s always safer to go with a heel pick. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say Sheamus wins the entire thing even though I acknowledge they could very well bring back Triple H to cost him the tournament.

Do you agree or disagree with Solomonster’s analysis? Who do YOU think will win the 2010 King of the Ring this Monday? Let your voices be heard in the comments section below!

thesolomonster@gmail.com

Sound Off 135: From Rags To Riches, Miz Wins The WWE Title!

solomonster

Solomonster Sounds Off

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 135)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 16 minutes

Solomonster is sick and heavily drugged, but he has thoughts on Miz winning the WWE Title, Cena being fired, CM Punk joining the Raw announce team, picking a winner for King of the Ring, thoughts on Survivor Series and OLD SCHOOL RAW, Black Friday cuts, Alex Riley’s DUI, Vince McMahon’s new deal and WWE’s planned role for Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania! His throat is killing him, so show some love and listen to this now!

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SEScoops Mailbag: Is WWE Planning a WCW Reunion Show?

SEScoops Mailbag for November 19th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: Do you think that if John Cena is “fired” at Survivor Series that WWE will use Cena to tie in to the Vince McMahon coma storyline? I know there is no way they would actually fire Cena, so if he does get “fired”, maybe they could have him visiting Vince each week, trying to get him out of the coma? Plus, they haven’t really done much with the coma storyline. Last time I remember seeing Vince was when Nexus attacked him and then when he was supposedly in a coma. – Sharla

A: First of all, we don’t know that there really is a coma storyline with the Mr. McMahon character. That may very well have been a one-off comedy skit meant to play off Linda’s senate campaign because neither before nor after that have we heard anything about McMahon’s condition since the Nexus attack. That said, if it is indeed part of the storyline, I suppose one thing they could do is have Cena do the right thing and help Orton retain the title. Barrett fires him, only for Vince to come walking out, finally out of his coma, and immediately reinstate Cena. Of course, if that were to happen, it would render this entire storyline meaningless and further erode the value of match stipulations, which WWE does not need. Plus, it would just piss a lot of people off.

Q: Who books Raw? And what were the plans for Brian Pillman before his death? – Lenny C.

A: The head writer for Raw is Brian Gewirtz, though the buck stops with Vince McMahon on all matters related to booking. As for Pillman, he was involved in a kidnap storyline at the time of his death with Terri Runnels and Goldust. I believe the plan was for Terri, seemingly held against her will by Brian for weeks, to turn on Dustin and remain with Pillman. Beyond that, Brian was very limited in what he could do in the ring at that point and was in constant pain due to the fused ankle that resulted from his auto accident in 1996.

Q: Why doesn’t Yukes or WWE beta test their games before releasing them on the PS2? I recently bought Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 and it’s FULL of glitches! – Ryan Begley

A: Wait, you’re still using a PS2? There’s your answer.

Q: I’ve been noticing this for as long as this whole story line has been running, but how come everytime Michael Cole gets an e-mail from the Raw GM is he looking downward and reading? We can obviously see the script he is reading from on the podium, but does he have to be so obvious? WWE might need to go back and look at the camera angles and see how stupid and fake this looks. – Terrell from Virginia

A: I have noticed this, too. It’s extremely aggravating, but this entire storyline has been so over the top, I try not to get too upset about something so minor. Really, all Cole has to do is skim the script real quick and simply pretend to be looking at the screen when he speaks. He’s a former news reporter, memorizing a few lines of copy and reciting them without looking shouldn’t be all that difficult.

Q: Why is TNA so full of themselves? Truth be told, they have some things going for them, but when it all comes down to it, the fact that they keep referring to themselves as the best pro wrestling on TV is tremendously and clearly false. – Ryan

A: What do you want them to say? We’re the second best pro wrestling show on TV, so watch ROH on HDNet if you want to see the best? Or better yet, we do sports entertainment better than anyone else, except WWE, but we just copy them anyway so watch us instead! Seriously, I can fault TNA for PLENTY of things, but promoting your product as the best is not one of them. Every company does this, as well they should.

Q: I’m wondering if you remember a tag team that Jim Cornette managed in WWE in the mid-90’s. They were 2 fat guys with baggy trousers (kind of Arabian-looking attire), they came out and attacked someone and were awful! I remember one of them even fell off the top rope! After that they never appeared again. Any help would be much appreciated! – Ross Irvin

A: You’re thinking of The Headhunters, who were twin brothers and made very brief appearances in the WWF in 1996-97. They debuted at the ’96 Royal Rumble as members of The Squat Team and were each eliminated in under two minutes. They also appeared the following year on Monday Night Raw as The Arabian Butchers, managed by Cornette. The fact that they didn’t stick around very long should tell you all you need to know about their in-ring ability.

Q: If WWE had Kaval turn heel and use his title shot he earned by winning NXT to beat Dolph Ziggler, would it be a good idea if they put him in a feud with Daniel Bryan? I think they have the potential to have great matches. – Marcus

A: Well, you were partially right (this question was sent before Kaval’s IC title bout with Dolph Ziggler was announced for Survivor Series), so kudos to you. And you’re right, it would make for a fantastic program with Daniel Bryan. I suppose if they wanted to go that route, Kaval could win the Intercontinental title and they could put the two of them together to unify the titles, but I haven’t heard anything about them unifying the remaining belts after doing so with the Women’s and Tag titles.

Q: Granted, I’ve missed the last two TNA Impacts, but WHAT THE HELL happened to London Brawling (Desmond Wolfe, Brutus Magnus and Chelsea)?! – Slic Ric

A: Are you sure you’ve only missed the last two shows? Desmond Wolfe has been off TNA television since late August. It was cited as a “personal reason” at the time and the belief is that it may have something to do with lingering concussion issues. Magnus did not do anything wrong, but he was being kept off TV in the interim, as well, and has since wrestled on their “Xplosion” show. No word on when London Brawling may return.

Q: I was recently searching for tickets to an event on Ticketmaster when I came across an advertisement for a WCW show next summer. The really weird part is that the date of the show coincides with the 15th anniversary of the formation of the NWO. Is this true or false? Is there going to be some sort of WCW reunion? – Justin

A: The New World Order was formed at the “Bash at the Beach” show on July 7th, 1996. Next year, July 7th falls on a Thursday, which would make such a show unlikely if they wanted it on TV. When I tried to search for it myself, nothing comes up. For what it’s worth, after the Old School Raw on Monday night, there was talk within WWE of doing a similar tribute show for WCW Monday Nitro. Personally, I can’t see it, especially when so much of their old talent is currently under contract with TNA.

Q: When will you invade TNA Impact? – Richard Agosto

A: Umm, I don’t want to. In fact, I do everything in my power to keep as far away from them as possible. Also, lay off the glue.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

Nexus Member Gives Props to a Popular Ring of Honor Star

-In an interview with IGN.com, Wade Barrett, the #1 contender to the WWE championship this Sunday at Survivor Series, credits ROH star Colt Cabana with teaching him his “Wasteland” finishing maneuver. “He showed me that a few years ago and it was a move that I’d never seen used before,” said Barrett. “Apparently it gets used a bit in Mexican wrestling circles, but it wasn’t one that I was familiar with.”

For the full interview, click here.

-Ring of Honor TV champion Eddie Edwards has been diagnosed with a separated shoulder. He is believed to have suffered the injury on November 11th at the “2010 Survival of the Fittest” show in Michigan, winning the tournament to earn himself an ROH title shot sometime in 2011. No word yet on the severity of the injury.

-ROH has announced that fresh off his first defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles in Japan with Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega will be returning for two dates with the company. He will be working ROH shows in Plymouth, MA on December 17th and the Manhattan Center in New York City on December 18th for their “Final Battle” show.

SPECIAL: SEScoops’ Survivor Series “Pick One and Be Done!”

SEScoops’ Official Survivor Series “Pick One and Be Done!”

by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

This Sunday marks the 24th annual WWE Survivor Series from Miami, Florida. While I thought about doing another preview and predictions-style editorial, it’s not a card that has inspired much in the way of excitement. In fact, before Raw this week, we knew all of three matches on the show. It feels slapped together like most other WWE pay-per-views these days and it’s hard to believe that once upon a time, Survivor Series was considered one of the “Big Four” annual shows. That may no longer be true, but I figured it would be fun to celebrate its history by choosing one match (and only one!) from each of the last 23 shows to highlight, right here on SEScoops!

As for the criteria, I’m not necessarily picking the “best” match on each show. This is all very subjective, of course, but I’ve chosen to go with matches that stand out to me the most either because they were simply GREAT or are often unfairly overlooked for other classic matches. Let’s pick one and be done!

1987

Strike Force, Fabulous Rougeaus, Killer Bees, Young Stallions and British Bulldogs
vs.
The Islanders, Hart Foundation, Demolition, Bolsheviks and New Dream Team

These early shows were completely made up of Survivor Series elimination matches. Much like a newlywed couple, they were entirely faithful to the concept before getting bored and cheating with regular singles and tag bouts a few years later. What makes this so unique is that each team is comprised of five actual tag teams (you know, when WWE actually had more than just the Hart Dynasty and Usos), so this match is quite the monstrosity with 20 men out there. But it’s easily the best thing on the show.

1988

The Rockers, Powers of Pain, British Bulldogs, Hart Foundation and Young Stallions
vs.
Demolition, The Brain Busters, Bolsheviks, Fabulous Rougeaus and The Conquistadors

Much like the year prior, they’ve taken ten tag teams and lumped them together into one Survivors match. And much like the year prior, it’s easily the best thing on the show. One thing that really strikes you is the sheer number of managers that WWE had in its employ at one time. In this match alone, you’ve got teams managed by Bobby Heenan (who I’m fairly certain managed 48 guys at once), Mr. Fuji, Jimmy Hart and Slick. Anyway, I had completely forgotten that The Conquistadors were called Uno and Dos, which is so incredibly awesome, how could you go wrong picking this?

1989

The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts and Demolition)
vs.
The Million $ Team (Ted DiBiase, Zeus and The Powers of Pain)

The thing I loved about these early Survivors matches was that you had team names. I mean, regular tag teams in WWE these days (the ones that are left, anyway) don’t even have real team names. This is where I’ll give TNA credit, at least they have teams like the Motor City Machine Guns and Beer Money. What was the last cool team name in WWE? Anyway, this show was full of great team names (Roddy’s Rowdies, The Enforcers, The King’s Court), but this is the match I remember vividly. They got rid of Zeus real quick here because, well, he was fairly limited in what he could do. In fact, all he really did was choke people and that’s sort of illegal. He had Hogan flat on his back about 3 minutes into this and was choking the life out of him, prompting a hilarious scene that saw referee Earl Hebner violently wrench back on Zeus’s head, trying mightily to pry him off the Hulkster to no avail. When Zeus shoved him away, that was enough for the disqualification. The rest of this was fairly standard stuff, but I always enjoyed seeing Hogan in there with DiBiase because when you really stop and think about it, we never got to see them square off much on TV. They never had a big PPV singles match together.

1990

The Million $ Team (Ted DiBiase, The Undertaker, The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine)
vs.
The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart)

Yes, this was the show with the giant egg. But it’s also remembered for being the first appearance of The Undertaker, managed by Brother Love. He didn’t last as long as you might think in this match and was counted out after beating the blubber out of Dusty Rhodes, but he looked impressive in delivering his first Tombstone to poor Koko B. Ware. Bret Hart was the real star of the show here as he went all the way to the end with DiBiase and had the crowd buying into all of his near falls. Bret had dedicated the match to his brother Dean, who passed away just 24 hours earlier from kidney failure. Not sure if he requested off this show in light of his brother dying, but if he did, he was obviously turned down. Not to worry, Bret. You did good here. Dean would be proud.

1991

The Gravest Challenge
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. The Undertaker, WWF Championship

This is the night WWF got a rude awakening from its fans. It was obvious that Hogan was not nearly as beloved as he once was and fans were getting tired of his shtick. Undertaker received a fair share of cheers, especially at the end when he scored the three count. The match itself was horrible and largely consisted of Undertaker choking Hogan in different positions for extended periods of time (I was going to make a joke about Zeus and Undertaker forming a team called The Chokers, but the Dallas Cowboys already have that name, so I won’t do it). The best part of all this was the fan dressed as Hogan in the front row. You see, this man was a rather unlucky charm for the Hulkster as, not only did he appear here when Hogan lost his title to Undertaker, but he was also front and center when Hulk lost the title to Yokozuna at the King of the Ring in 1993 and was squashed right out of the WWF. In fact, the only lasting mental image I have of this guy is of him leaning over the guardrail with a sad look on his face like his dog was first shot, then backed over by a Jeep. I’m convinced he was hiding somewhere in the Skydome, too, when Hogan lost to The Rock at WrestleMania 18.

1992

Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWF Championship

I used to hate this show with a passion because it was the first time they abandoned the concept of elimination matches (well, they had one) and basically adopted the format they use today. But it has since grown on me and this match is a big reason why. In fact, it may be my favorite Bret vs. Shawn match as it had the perfect length to it (unlike the Iron Man match), a clean submission finish (unlike Montreal) and was very well worked. It was unique for two reasons: one, it was a CHAMPION vs. CHAMPION match with only Bret’s WWF Title on the line, and two, it was never supposed to be that way, let alone the MAIN EVENT of the show. I mean, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, two guys who were wrestling tag matches less than 2 years earlier, in the final match of a WWF pay-per-view? That was unheard of back then. But you see, when you start cracking down on steroids, shit happens. Bret shockingly won the title from Ric Flair about a month or so earlier because Vince wanted the belt on someone who didn’t look like a gassed up monster, and Shawn won the Intercontinental belt from the British Bulldog on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” just a few weeks before the show after Davey Boy was fired for drug-related reasons. I still remember WWF Magazine’s own preview for this show listing Bret vs. Shawn as an undercard match for no titles, while Bulldog was to defend his belt against The Mountie. Sucks to be The Mountie, but not the fans as we were treated to one hell of a main event. Plus, Bret celebrated with Santa to close the show!

1993

The Hart Family (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart and Keith Hart)
vs.
Shawn Michaels and his Knights (The Red Knight, The Blue Knight and The Black Knight)

If you’re wondering why HBK would have his own team of medieval knights, allow me to explain. Jerry Lawler was to be the captain of that team as he had been feuding with Bret for months, but he went and got himself in some legal trouble. Michaels, who was still on suspension from what is believed to have been a steroid failure, was reinstated and this was his first match back. Family Feud host Ray Combs did the intros to this match and was quite annoying. It’s also marks the first and only time in his WWE career that Bret Hart wore a singlet with no pants. The match itself was very good and, most importantly, was the starting point of the Bret/Owen sibling rivalry. Leave it to Shawn Michaels to stir up shit with the Hart family.

1994

Chuck Norris. Enough said.

1995

The BodyDonnas (Skip, Rad Radford, Tom Prichard, and The 1-2-3 Kid)
vs.
The Underdogs (Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz, and Bob Holly)

I’ve always been a fan of the Wildcard Match concept used on this show, and Bret Hart certainly carried Kevin Nash to a very good main event (and a noteworthy one with Diesel’s infamous f-bomb and heel turn), but I was going to go with the all-women’s elimination bout featuring Alundra Blaze, Aja Kong, Tomoko Watanabe and others as I remember it being a great match. However, after seeing the match again recently, that match was fucking horrible. Blown spots galore, which shocked me considering the talents involved, and many moments where the girls just looked totally lost in there. Instead, we’ll go with the opening match, or as I like to call it, Rise of the Curtain Jerkers. This was a really fun match that saw the crowd go crazy whenever Hakushi was in the ring (not nearly enough) and start up a “BARRY!” chant for Horowitz, which just goes to show that you CAN truly get anyone over if you try hard enough. I also chuckled everytime Mr. Perfect would refer to him as “Horriblewitz”. Good stuff here.

1996

Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Sycho Sid, WWF Championship

Oh Madison Square Garden, how I love thee. If you take this match and put it in any other building, I don’t think it would have HALF the heat this match had, and Shawn Michaels likely would have received a warmer welcome. But, as it was, New York hated the dancing babyface and booed him out of the building, while openly embracing the challenger. I know Bret Hart and Steve Austin had a much better match, but this is a spectacle that I never get tired of watching. HBK carries Sid to one of the best matches of his career and loses the title, ending the “Boyhood Dream” and, in my opinion, marking the unofficial start to what would become the Attitude Era. This was during the period where Michaels had Jose Lothario following him around wherever he went, so when Sid grabbed a TV camera and SMASHED Jose in the chest with it (he didn’t belong up on the apron!), that was quite the shocking moment. Jose fakes the best heart attack ever on the floor and as Michaels tends to him, Sid takes that same camera and smashes it over the back of Shawn’s head, muttering an audible “Fuck you!” not once, but twice! One powerbomb later and Sid is your champion. Take note of wrestling superfan Vladimir in the front row (where else would he be?) who looks like he could not be happier to see an old man murdered as he high-fives and hugs the new champion on his way out. If you’ve never seen this match before, it’s worth going out of your way to watch if for no other reason than to see what wrestling crowds were once like.

1997

Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWF Championship

I seriously had to rack my brain to remember a single match other than the main event of this show. Well, that’s not really true. I do vividly remember Kane wrestling Dude Love in the darkness with that stupid red light, but I can’t choose that match because it wasn’t particularly good. Truth is, it’s a damn shame this match ended the way it did because Hart and Michaels were well on their way to having one of the better matches the two of them have ever had together. So, we’ll go with this one because, quite frankly, I don’t think the finish of this match has been debated NEARLY enough in the last 13 years.

1998

Steve Austin vs. Mankind, Deadly Game Semi-Finals

It was the first (and only) single elimination tournament for the WWF Title since WrestleMania 4 a decade earlier. I look back fondly on the “Deadly Game” motif, including the awesome theme song, and that gigantic skull entranceway. That being said, there’s not a single match from this tournament that I would rate above 2 ½ stars, which means I’m going to have to go with Steve Austin vs. Mankind in the Semi-Finals by default. This is the match where Shane McMahon turned heel for the first time and flipped Austin the double bird after refusing to count the fall. It’s also the match where Mankind’s pants fell down around his ankles as he was Stunnered by Stone Cold. Foley would make it to the Finals before being “screwed” and Rock began his first of many runs with the gold. It’s also the only Survivor Series to this day to not feature a single, traditional elimination match. Let’s hope it stays that way.

1999

Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Stasiak

It’s the in-ring debut of our Olympic Hero! I can’t get over how much smaller Kurt looked in this match as compared to one of his matches, say, in 2003. Fans in Detroit have the audacity to start a boring chant not long after this match starts, which I totally agree with – Shawn Stasiak was a fucking boring wrestler. The best part of this was Kurt basically stopping the match to get on the mic outside and berate the crowd, an instant recipe for heel heat. Match was nothing, but for historical purposes, this is the one that stands out the most on this show. Had Triple H not had Rikishi run over Stone Cold, that Triple Threat main event would have been one hell of a battle. I just want to vent real quick and deliver a hearty “Fuck you!” to WWE for the blatant bait-and-switch they pulled with that. That’s no way to treat your audience.

2000

Kurt Angle (c) vs. Undertaker’s Pants, WWF Championship

Could it be? Our Olympic Hero makes the list for the second straight show? Oh, it’s true! You don’t need me to tell you how awesome Kurt Angle is, but after just one full year on TV, it’s scary how good he already was. Hell, he was the WWF champion! This was billed as Undertaker’s 10th anniversary, but he wore the most RIDICULOUS pants I think I’ve ever seen. They were either snakeskin leather or something he ran over on the way to the show. I could barely concentrate on the match without being fixated on those ugly pants. How Kurt Angle was able to keep a straight face throughout this bout, I’ll never know. But it was a pretty good match with an incredibly clever finish. You see, Kurt has a brother named Eric who, from a certain distance, looks very much like his sibling. They pull the ‘ol switcheroo at one point and Undertaker delivers a Last Ride Powerbomb on who we THINK is Kurt before going for the cover. Referee Earl Hebner counts two before halting his count and the crowd has no idea what’s going on. Some people see Earl and automatically think “screwjob” all over again. But Earl saw Eric’s face and was smart enough to realize you can’t count a fall on someone if they aren’t even in the match. Kurt sneaks up behind Undertaker and rolls him up for the pin before high-tailing it out of the arena in hilarious fashion. Speaking of fashion, let us not speak of those pants ever again.

2001

Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show)
vs.
The Alliance (Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon)

There is something inherently wrong with the parting image of what began as a WWF vs. WCW “war” being The Rock pinning Steve Austin. So goes the famously botched “invasion” of 2001, which culminated in this match at Survivor Series where the losing group would die off forever. Kurt Angle, who had defected to The Alliance weeks earlier, was a mole all along as he assisted Team WWF to victory. Best match on the show, but leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I think of what might have been. Sigh.

2002

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Big Show, WWE Championship

The very first “Elimination Chamber” match was on this show and was great for two reasons: (1) Shawn Michaels got one last run with the title, and (2) RVD nearly killed Triple H with a Frog Splash. Of course, RVD was eating burgers at WWE’s Times Square restaurant the following month during the next PPV, so maybe it wasn’t so great for him, but I digress. This right here was my favorite match. It was mostly comprised of Brock Lesnar (still a heel, mind you) tossing the 500-pound Big Show all over the ring at will and getting cheered at MSG like the biggest babyface since Hulk Hogan. He actually delivered a German Suplex and a Belly-to-Belly OVERHEAD Suplex to Big Show. Take a moment and let that sink in. This was also the first time Lesnar ever hoisted up Big Show to deliver his signature F5 slam, which was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still. It should still be on every WWE highlight reel for the next 50 years. If he would have pinned Show right there, it would have been the perfect finish. Of course, they had to go and fuck it up by having Paul Heyman turn on Brock and align with Big Show, who goes down as the man to hand Lesnar his very first defeat. Dumb finish aside, it wasn’t very long, but this was fantastic stuff.

2003

Team Bischoff (Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Scott Steiner, and Mark Henry)
vs.
Team Austin (HBK, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)

This won’t be the only time in this list where I talk about how great Shawn Michaels was at wrestling psychology. That was on full display here, and as good as many of the other players in this match were, none were better than Michaels. The stipulation was that if Steve Austin’s team lost the match, he would leave WWE. So when it all came down to HBK, with Michaels wearing one of his best crimson masks, it was mesmerizing how he had the fans hanging on his every move. In the end, he could not overcome the odds (take notes Mr. Cena) and as a result, Steve Austin was forced to leave WWE forever! I guess forever in WWE time is 4 months since he was back as a referee at WrestleMania. This may have been the last, truly great Survivor Series elimination match.

2004

Shelton Benjamin (c) vs. Christian, Intercontinental Title

Here are two of the most under-utilized performers in WWE history. They went out there and had the best match on the show. What a surprise. They even gave them some decent time as this match went about 13 minutes or so. Keep that in mind when you consider they gave an Undertaker vs. Heidenreich match almost 16 minutes on the same show.

2005

Triple H vs. Ric Flair, Last Man Standing

This is perhaps the best battle I’ve seen these two men have. The Greensboro match on Raw had more emotion, but this was simply a bloodbath. In fact, I’m pretty sure Ric Flair lost all of the blood in his body, which makes it all the more remarkable that he was able to function when this was over. Flair survived three Pedigrees, but the sledgehammer was too much and the King of Kings reigned supreme. You don’t see matches like this in WWE anymore, so if you’re a newer fan or simply a fan of the old school, check this out.

2006

Mr. Kennedy vs. The Undertaker, First Blood Match

The amount of blood here pales in comparison (see what I did there) to how much we saw the year prior, but nothing compares to the absolutely SICK chairshot delivered by Undertaker to Kennedy after the match to get his heat back. It was difficult to watch back then, let alone now with everyone on concussion-watch 24/7. Ironically, as I write this, Ken Anderson is at home recovering from a severe concussion caused by an errant chairshot to the back of the head.

2007

Randy Orton (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWE Championship

This was a one-man show starring Shawn Michaels. I suppose I’m not giving sufficient credit to Orton here, but the psychology in this one was masterful and it’s all because of HBK. Per the rules of the match, Michaels was not allowed to use his signature Superkick, yet he still went out there and had the match of the night. He took us on an emotional rollercoaster with his mannerisms, his pained facial expressions, the near falls, everything was done to perfection. There’s a reason Michaels himself has stated that this is one of his favorite matches of his entire career, and it’s a prime example of why the wrestling ring is a darker place for no longer having him in it.

2008

Team HBK (Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Cryme Tyme and The Great Khali)
vs.
Team JBL (John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Kane, MVP, John Morrison and The Miz)

Nothing overly special about this match, but from top to bottom, it was a really well-worked Survivors match. If you’re into shock value, you probably liked Edge winning the WWE Title in the Triple Threat with Kozlov (really) and Triple H. If you’re a loyal resident of the CeNation, you likely enjoyed John Cena’s return title victory over Chris Jericho. Each irritated me in their own way, so they basically negated one another.

2009

John Cena (c) v. Shawn Michaels v. Triple H, WWE Championship

Shameful. In a word, that describes this match. Not the match itself, which was actually really good, but the buildup to it. You may recall it involved a little, green midget and a shitload of comedy. Yes, because what better way to promote your PPV main event with three of your biggest stars than with JOKES. Sure enough, this show was such box office poison, it nearly resulted in the end of the Survivor Series name altogether. Best moment was easily HBK superkicking Triple H out of the ring at the very start, which caught pretty much everyone off guard. From there, it was your standard WWE Triple Threat formula, which is more like condensing three mini-matches into one, but what we did see was great stuff.

EPILOGUE…

I must confess, after about Survivor Series 2002, my brain began to malfunction while trying to come up with worthy matches from the remaining 7 shows. For many of them, YouTube was a great refresher for me, but really, it’s indicative of a larger problem. For one thing, Survivor Series as a pay-per-view has lost much of its luster from the days in which it was conceived. The elimination tag bouts were something unique and became an annual tradition that people would look forward to. Now, WWE might toss one out there for nostalgia like they’re doing again this year, but the show has essentially become just another last minute, haphazardly-assembled PPV offering. Add to that, we’ve already seen multi-man elimination tag bouts at Summerslam and Bragging Rights this year. Secondly, there are so many hours of weekly WWE programming on TV these days that shows like Survivor Series, by design, cannot possibly mean as much as they once did. It’s simply the nature of the business now. When people think of the traditional “Big Four PPV’s”, if you had to pick one show that truly did not belong anymore, this would be the one. I’m happy Vince McMahon changed his mind and decided to stick with the Survivor Series moniker, for its rich history if nothing else, but when I take a step back, I can fully understand why he would have made the decision to axe it. When he said this show was obsolete, in many ways, he was right.

So what do you think of this list? What are YOUR favorite Survivor Series matches and moments? Let your voices be heard in the comments section below!

thesolomonster@gmail.com

Sound Off 134: Ripping WWE’s Top 50 Greatest List To Shreds!

solomonster

Solomonster Sounds Off

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 134)

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Solomonster rips apart WWE’s list of the Top 50 Greatest Stars, plus he reflects back on the career of Eddie Guerrero five years after his death, praises tea time with Santino, congratulates Jeff Hardy on winning the Divas title, Lacey leaving TNA and a WWE Hall of Fame in Orlando. Your weekend isn’t complete without this, so download now!

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SEScoops Mailbag: The Most Underrated Tag Team in History?

SEScoops Mailbag for November 12th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: When Rey Mysterio comes down the entrance way to the ring, what is he saying to those kids when he does that super creepy thing and touches his forehead to theirs? – Franchise Shane Douglas

A: You know, I’d rather not think about that. So long as it doesn’t involve an offer of candy and a room key, it’s nobody’s business.

Q: Where do the superstars who get buried alive escape to when the dirt covers them? Also, do you know how Undertaker got out of the burning casket at the 1998 Royal Rumble? – Big Mike

A: There is a trap door hidden inside the grave on one of the sides. At the appropriate time, the camera will cut away, giving whoever is in the grave an opportunity to safely roll out of dodge before the final mounds of dirt are emptied into the dark tomb. As for the ’98 Rumble, you may recall that after Undertaker was dumped into the casket, there was a considerable amount of time that passed as Kane and Paul Bearer secured him inside before they began rolling the casket down the aisle way. While the casket sat propped up against the side of the ring, there is a trap door through which Taker escaped under the ring. Sometimes, if you pay close attention, you can even see the person moving out of the box and under the ring. Once Bearer and Kane saw this, they knew it was safe to proceed.

Q: When Kurt Angle originally left WWE for TNA, I heard it was because he lied about his reasoning for wanting to be released from his contract. When he turned up in TNA, what was Vince McMahon’s reaction? – Ryan Begley

A: There are disputed accounts about what happened during that final meeting between Angle and McMahon. The most reliable story I’ve heard is that Angle broke down weeping and that, coupled with some bizarre behavior on his part in the weeks leading up to his release (e.g. sending weird text messages to people), made WWE realize that this guy was a walking time bomb and it was in his best interest to leave the company. They fully expected Kurt to go to TNA and, in a way, actually encouraged it. They didn’t encourage it directly the way they did when Vince told Bret Hart to negotiate with WCW back in 1997 because they couldn’t afford to pay his salary anymore, but everyone involved realized that Kurt had substance abuse issues and the WWE road schedule was going to kill him sooner rather than later. Going to TNA with their reduced schedule was the best move for his health and well-being.

Q: Why do the writers at TNA suddenly think its a good idea to bombard their show with segment after segment of people talking, pointless fights and beatdowns, or backstage attacks? – Kieran Andrews

A: Don’t forget swerves, lots of swerves! Simply put, in their minds, whatever worked in 1999 will surely work in 2010. Of course, we all know that’s bullshit, which automatically makes us infinitely smarter than the people running TNA.

Q: Is R-Truth getting a new push with all of the segments with Cena, his recent match against Miz and his tag match with Orton? He is a good performer, but the typical rapper/thug gimmick is played out. I know he will always be a mid-carder in WWE, but I think he could he a high mid-carder. Will we see a heel turn soon? – Chris

A: It’s certainly possible down the road, but I’d be surprised if it happened this year given how hard they are trying to get his new theme song over with the audience. The only thing about his act that was over was his music and now that they changed it, it’s really killed the guy dead in his tracks. Truth has a load of in-ring talent, but to me, the biggest obstacle to him getting anything remotely close to a main event push is his prior arrest record in Canada. Because of that, he is not allowed across the border (which is why he missed one of the Raw shows leading up to Bragging Rights). You can’t have a World champion banned from performing in an entire country.

Q: In NXT season 1, Wade Barrett won the “Talk the Talk” challenge and was promised his own theme music to stand out in the competition. However, he never got that music. Why didn’t they go through with it? – The Brian Collins

A: Wasn’t Kaval promised a title shot for winning season 2 of NXT? Why ask why?

Q: I was watching the Four Horsemen DVD and it was interesting. I was at the part where they attack Ricky Morton and it got me thinking about tag teams and why the Rock ‘N Roll Express is overlooked when the greatest tag teams of all time are discussed or ranked in a Top 10. Are they the most underrated tag team ever? – Andrew Betts

A: I think you’re hanging out with the wrong crowd. They won’t be on everyone’s list, but the Rock ‘N Roll Express are mentioned fairly often when it comes to discussions about the greatest teams in wrestling history. Because they never worked, in their prime, for a company like WWE, they may not have the same level of visibility as the Bulldogs or Steiner Brothers, but they’re not as overlooked as you might think, nor do I think they are the most underrated tag team of all time. That distinction would go to Steve Austin and Brian Pillman as The Hollywood Blondes in WCW. They were an unexpectedly great team that was dissolved way sooner than they should have been. Them, or Head Cheese.

Q: I’ve watched a number of WWE DVD sets over the past few years and I’ve noticed that WWE only blurs certain WWF logos. I know that Vince had to change the name because of the World Wildlife Fund, but it seems like WWE lets the block-style WWF logo appear unblurred. With them having an “Old School” Raw show, along with selling these new retro WWF t-shirts, is there something from the settlement that allows them to use only certain logos? Why doesn’t Vince just pay the royalties/fines in order to keep the old logos intact? – Jim

A: It doesn’t work that way. It would be far too costly for them to do so or they would have done something already. As for the lawsuit, WWE was NOT required to change the name of their company. They opted to do so because while they could continue to call themselves the World Wrestling Federation in this country, they would not have been allowed to do so overseas, which would have created far too much confusion in the marketplace. It’s simply bad branding to call yourself one thing in the U.S. and something different everywhere else. Whatever the reason, the old block-letter WWF logo was never banned from being used, this was only in reference to the scratch logo of the Attitude Era. You’ll notice, they are also allowed to speak the words World Wrestling Federation, but are not allowed to speak the initials WWF (unless your name is Bret Hart). I’d say blame the pandas, but in reality, WWE did breach whatever agreement they had in place with the wildlife folks, so you reap what you sow.

Q: Is it just me or does anyone else think it’s weird that they keep calling Hornswoggle “Horny”? Maybe I am being a little bit immature about this, and granted the kids probably don’t view it like that. To me though, it’s just a little odd that adults (Teddy Long is over 50) can continually, and with a straight face, keep calling a 24 year old midget “Horny.” Who’d have ever thought that being “Horny” would actually be PG? – Geremy Kerr

A: To be fair, I was called “Horny” when I was 24 years old, too. Still am.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!