WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan recently spoke with Brian Fritz of SportingNews.com to promote his upcoming MegaCon 2015 appearance in Orlando, Florida. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On why he thinks his fans have stuck with him for so long and continue to be so loyal and passionate: “I think they, first off, fell in love with the character Hulk Hogan, the all-American guy going against the Iron Sheik when it was a perfect storm when the U.S. was at odds with Iran I think. The character served well for what the storyline was pointing towards. So I think it was kind of the perfect storm of being in shape with the tan, saying I was from California and being plugged in to the right thing by Vince McMahon. I think that put me at a higher level than I could have achieved by myself by building my house one brick at a time. I think I got a launching pad right out of the shoot and that’s not counting the six or seven years I wrestled before. But from that point on I think people just fell in love with the character and then I was really consistent. When they came to see Hulk Hogan wrestle, I delivered a performance that was consistent with a main event performance. I got to be tangible and the people kind of knew me and felt like they could reach out and touch me. I wasn’t a distant star like an Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt or somebody like that. They just became loyal to the character and the man behind the character because they figured out I was a human being and survived all the ups and downs and were loyal to a fault. I think it was a combination of all that stuff.”
On working with the nWo and Sting at WrestleMania 31: “It was cool. I keep saying what Vince says, never say never. Vince had his last match when he was, I think, 67. I’m a lot younger than him. I’m 61. I’m still training like I’m going to have a shot at the world title. But to actually be put out there and not be just a talking head and actually get involved in the action, it made me feel alive again. It made me feel part of the team. So it was really cool that the nWo walked out and got such a huge response. It was just unbelievable.”
On how his back is doing: “It’s good. It’s really good. I had nine back surgeries so it’s probably stronger than it’s even been because it’s all metal. (laughs) There was a point for a couple years where they said you’ll never walk again, you’re going to be in constant pain but all that stuff went away. So it’s better now than it’s ever been.”
On what it was like inducting Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame: “I was nervous. Legitimately nervous because Randy and I were such, such good friends for some many years. I was with him more than his wife, probably for 15 years. When he went through that divorce he self-imploded and took everybody with him and I was on the outs for many years and there were all kinds of crazy things going on. Then a few months before he passed away we accidentally bumped into each other, mended the fence and it was the same old Randy with a gleam in his eye. He had just gotten remarried and was happy. It was the same Randy I used to know. So it was bittersweet to be there. I basically thought that Lanny (Poffo, Randy’s brother) should have inducted him into the Hall of Fame and Lanny lobbied hard for me to do it because he said I knew him better than anybody. It was tough. It was really hard. I was nervous. I wanted to do him justice. All the haters were going “oh, Hulk Hogan is going to make it all about him”. It was just amazing to see when you’re honoring somebody just how many people come out of the woodwork with different opinions. It kind of caught me off guard. I didn’t think in a moment like that when we’re there to honor someone and tell someone how much you love someone and what a great professional they were that there were all these left-sided comments coming out. It kind of caught me off guard but we got through it.”
On what he would like to do with WWE and what’s next: “Well, they’re on the Road to WrestleMania already. You know how that goes. I’m going to be lobbying real hard for Hulk Hogan in Dallas next year. Other than that, I’m just entertaining a few movie scripts here. When I get off the phone with you I’m going to go over my schedule with the WWE guys. I know I’m going to Australia then heading over to the UK. They got me on a crazy treadmill right now but it’s a lot of fun.”
Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.
Last weekend at WrestleMania 31, the Sting vs. Triple H match turned into a Monday Night War reunion of sorts, with appearances by the nWo and DX.
The nostalgic run-ins made for a fun WrestleMania moment, but a lot of fans were wondering why the nWo would be helping Sting, since they had such a storied rivalry in WCW.
WWE fan @RealChrisFaught asked Hall on Twitter what the nWo’s motivation was in helping Sting, since nobody felt the wrath of Sting’s bat more than Hollywood Hogan and The Outsiders. The Bad Guy responded:
– The original plan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31 on Sunday night was for the match to go about 35 minutes long, including entrance. Because the pay-per-view ran long, WWE ended up cutting some time off of the match. They also cut out a Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker video out of the broadcast.
– It was rumored that Kevin Nash suffered an injury during the nWo and D-X run-in spot in the Triple H vs. Sting match at WrestleMania 31 on Sunday night. Nash addressed the rumor on social media, joking that the only injury he suffered was to his feelings because Billy Gunn can still “go.” Below is a tweet Nash posted after the show that deals with the subject.
Injury update it appears my feelings were hurt that Billy can still move like a freight train. Great main event -show pic.twitter.com/Y4h6dqmh3C
Jim Ross updated the blog section of his official website on Monday to share his thoughts on Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view. Below are some highlights.
On the Sting vs. Triple H match and the D-X and nWo involvement: “Sting vs. HHH was a grand production with a ‘cast of thousands’ specifically the nWo and DX. So happy that Sting got his WrestleMania Moment which was well deserved. Those that think that the Moment was ruined because Sting lost might not understand the business as well as they think. I don’t know if Sting is done with WWE or not but I do hope that he gets a nice retirement sendoff and that he’s in the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame class. If the plan is to have a Summer Slam or sooner rematch between the two then HHH winning makes even more sense.”
On Ronda Rousey possibly wrestling in WWE: “I’ve been pushing a Ronda Rousey-Stephanie McMahon storyline for weeks on the Ross Report Podcast and I was elated with what went down Sunday between Rousey, Steph, the Rock and HHH. I thought the ladies stole the segment from the men and sill feel that a Rousey vs. Steph match with a stacked deck in Steph’s favor will be a giant hit in Texas at WM32 if the trigger can be pulled.”
On Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt: “Thought Taker returned to WM in great shape and looking physically better than he has in the past several years. Bray Wyatt being competitive, kicking out of a Tombstone Piledriver was great for the young, 3rd generation talent. Anyone who thinks that Wyatt took a step back because he did not win needs to re-evaluate their opinion. Just saying…Nonetheless Taker appears to still have some gas in the tank and I hope that the is a major part of the Texas WrestleMania which would be a great place for him to hand it up if that’s what the Phenom wants to do.”
On the main event: “The booking of the ending of the impromptu Triple Threat Match for the WWE world title was brilliant. Lesnar was protected, Reigns showed his toughness and passion to survive the early, Lesnar onslaught, and Rollins cashing in the MITB contract, which was no real surprise but how it was executed was, is a WWE Champion that on any given night can lose the title ala Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels back in their days. Loved the Japanese strong style aspects of the match and enjoyed the finish even more. ”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
As noted recently, Kevin Nash is all but confirmed to be inducted into this year’s class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
According to a new PWInsider.com report, Nash, much like Scott Hall, who was inducted under his WWE gimmick name of “Razor Ramon,” will be inducted as “Diesel.”
This is said to open the door for a potential second induction in the future, which could feature a faction being inducted like the Four Horseman was, as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall could all be inducted a second time as part of a nWo group-induction.
It’s expected that Nash’s induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame will actually close out this year’s ceremony. As things stand now, Shawn Michaels is scheduled to handle Nash’s induction.
– Triple H will be voicing The Incredible Hulk in the new Marvel Experience tour. He and Stephanie McMahon visited the Marvel Experience in Dallas, Texas prior to Monday’s RAW Reunion show. For more information on the Marvel Experience traveling attraction, visit TheMarvelExperience.com.
– Speaking of Triple H, below is a cool photo from prior to Monday’s RAW Reunion show that features all five members of the infamous “Kliq” hanging out in the ring. Pictured in the ring are the original nWo Wolfpac members — Sean Waltman, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, while the original D-X members — Shawn Michaels and Triple H, are pictured standing outside the ring.
Last night’s Raw was held in Dallas, TX and was the final episode before the Royal Rumble. There were plenty of surprises, and after weeks of terrible programming, perhaps the biggest shocker was that the company put on an episode of Raw that wasn’t half bad. Without further ado, here are this week’s pros and cons.
Pros
There were a few highlights to choose from, but for me, the final segment easily takes the top spot. The action during the contest was commendable, but the real excitement occurred after the match. Sting’s appearance was completely unexpected, especially an in age where nearly everything is spoiled online beforehand. The Stinger looked great (much better than he did at Survivor Series, imo) and held the pose long enough to make everyone wonder if it was a picture to distract the Authority, or whether he was really in attendance.
Fans quickly found out the answer, making a match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania all but official. Sting’s appearance, followed by Lesnar’s destruction of everything in sight, was an amazing way to end the show and sell Sunday’s Rumble. Speaking of Lesnar, the crowd is dying to cheer this guy. He could have a monster face run if he decides to stick around after ‘Mania.
A close second goes to the nWo reunion. The Ascension is completely laughable and unconvincing as intimating heels (Hall was straight-up laughing at them throughout the segment). I predict they will be dancing on the WWE comedy circuit within a year. With that said, it was awesome to see JBL finally take out his anger on these fools. It was hard not to mark out at the Clothesline From Hell, and it was pleasant to see actual planning and some sort of payoff for once.
The legends panel was decent, even if it’s the same three guys that are there every time a group of legends rolls into town. However, it was nice to see three Rumble winners talk about their victories, with Shawn Michaels saying, “There would be no Mr. WrestleMania without the Royal Rumble.” It was also humorous to watch Big Show bring up talking points from about two decades prior and refer to anyone as “three washed-up has-beens.”
In terms of wrestling action, the best match of the night, in my opinion, was Dean Ambrose and Bad News Barrett. These two had good chemistry and pulled off a number of impressive spots. In particular, Ambrose’s reversal of Wasteland into Dirty Deeds was an awesome way to end the match. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys work a program for the IC Title at WrestleMania.
Finally, Sandow posing as X-Pac backstage was absolutely hilarious. This guy deserves bigger and better things. Hopefully the company comes to the same realization before it’s too late.
WWE legend Kevin Nash noted on social media on Wednesday evening that as of today, the assault charges against him stemming from the issues with his son during the holidays have been dropped.
Nash was suspended by WWE due to their policy on that subject, however now that the charges have been dropped, it is expected that his suspension will be lifted.
Nash was originally scheduled to take part in an nWo reunion angle alongside Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall on the RAW Reunion show in Dallas, Texas next Monday, however when he was suspended by WWE, he was pulled from the show. Now that his suspension may be lifted, there is a chance that the door will be open for him to be included in the special.
Below is the tweet Nash posted on Wednesday evening regarding the assault charges against him being dropped.
To those that have sent you're love and support words can not express what you mean to me. As of 3:30 pm EST all charges have been dropped
As reported recently, WWE suspended the “Legends” contract of Kevin Nash following his domestic dispute with his son over the holidays.
Nash was suspended by the company due to their policy of suspending any talent or employees that have outstanding domestic violence charges. If the case against Nash gets dismissed in court, he will be reinstated by the company.
Nash has a few years left on his WWE deal, as he signed a five-year “Legends” contract back in 2011.
It’s also been confirmed that Nash has been pulled from the “RAW Reunion” special coming up on January 19th in Dallas, Texas. Nash was originally scheduled to do an nWo reunion angle with Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan, who along with Shawn Michaels, are still scheduled to appear.
A lot of the factors in pro wrestling are subjective. Some people enjoy this, some people enjoy that. Some fans prefer a better in-ring technician, some like a strong promo guy and others enjoy a great character. No one is wrong, because it’s all personal preference.
Generally speaking, when an editorial features a list, it’s “the best of” or “the worst of.” Today, we are going to switch gears a bit.
In keeping with the subjective theme, today we are going to look at who I personally consider to be the five best factions in the history of the business. Not the five best, my five favorite. And I’ll explain why, starting with …
#5. The Varsity Club
Many of the current generation of wrestling fans may have never even heard of The Varsity Club. Growing up, they were one of my favorite wrestling stables.
The original group consisted of Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner, all of which wore their amateur wrestling letterman jackets. The guys were among the most legitimate tough guys in the business at the time, and the group had the perception of being the baddest son of a bitches on the planet.
As is the case with any wrestling stable, as time went on the group was watered down. Members such as “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and “Dangerous” Dan Spivey were added to the mix, and before too long, the group ceased to exist. While they were around though, in my opinion, they were pretty damn cool.
#4. The Fabulous Freebirds
As far as I’m concerned any writer who doesn’t include The Fabulous Freebirds on their “top stables” or “top factions” lists should have their head examined. The Freebirds were as cool as it got when I was a youngster.
The group was led by Michael “P.S.” Hayes, a current WWE creative team member who is credited with introducing theme music to the ring-walk portion of the professional wrestling presentation. The group consisted of Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy and Buddy Roberts. Roberts was considered a great in-ring technician, and prior to the Birds, had a lengthy career worthy of Hall Of Fame status. In fact, Roberts was part of the original “Hollywood Blondes” tag-team, a name that was later used for the team of “Stunning” Steve Austin and “Flyin'” Brian Pillman. Gordy was a legend in Japan and portrayed the “enforcer” role in the group. Hayes was a rock star and easily one of the most charismatic wrestlers of his time, if not of all-time.
Later on, Hayes and Jimmy “Jam” Garvin would bring back The Fabulous Freebirds as a straight tag-team act. How this group has yet to receive an induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame confuses me to this very day.
#3. D-Generation X
I’m of the belief that there is not a fan of North American professional wrestling that has not heard of D-Generation X. That would mean they did their jobs and left a lasting legacy in the business.
D-X consisted of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude. When the group officially formed, you could make the argument that along with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, they officially ushered in the infamous “Attitude Era” in WWE. They did things for shock value at a time when Howard Stern, The Jerry Springer Show and many other shock-television style shows reigned supreme. It was a natural fit, and the group really cemented Triple H as a main event performer in WWE.
Later on, as is the case with every faction or stable in history, an attempt was made to get the gang back together, only this time — it worked. You could argue that the second version of D-X was actually more successful than the first. The second group featured Triple H as the leader instead of Michaels, and his group consisted of Chyna, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn and “The Road Dogg” Jesse James. Anyone who saw WWE RAW the night that D-X “invaded” WCW will never forget that moment. It was amazing entertainment and really symbolized the “Monday Night War” going on at the time between WWE and WCW.
D-X was brought back again in the 2000s as a straight tag-team act that featured the two original members — Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Personally, I didn’t enjoy that run nearly as much as their first run, but it was still a cool thing to see the two back together having fun.
The website of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas is advertising a huge reunion show for the January 19th episode of WWE RAW.
The the “RAW Reunion” show will feature nWo originals Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, along with WWE Hall of Famer (and one time nWo member) Shawn Michaels.
The advertised dark match main event will “the biggest Lumberjack Match in the History of Dallas” – as John Cena battles Seth Rollins with over 30 lumberjacks at ringside.
– The nWo is the subject of the latest edition of WWE’s “Canvas 2 Canvas” video, which you can check out below.
– Ryan Kerrigan of the NFL’s Washington Redskins paid tribute to WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels after sacking the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback during Sunday’s game. Kerrigan did HBK’s famous pose after the sack, which you can see pictured below.
After much hype and anticipation, the new The Monday Night War program finally hit the WWE Network this past week. Thus far, the original pilot episode that aired a few weeks back and two new episodes are available for streaming on the Network.
After announcing the launch of the WWE Network, this program was probably the most hyped original piece of programming to hit the Network. In fact, they purposely saved it in order to entice the initial round of subscribers to stick around for another six months.
The second episode of the series was very similar to the nWo DVD that was released a few years back.
So, after all of the hype and build for the newest WWE original series, was it worth the wait? After flying through the first three episodes, unfortunately it does not seem to add much to the Monday Night War discussion.
There are a few shortcomings that are immediately apparent. Most importantly, it seems to gloss over an entire era in just under an hour. The first episode was off to a great start, with Ted Turner’s acquisition of WCW serving as an adequate launching point. It was a quality pilot for the series and it was expected that the company would take a slow, in-depth look at the era.
However, episodes two and three of the series quickly took the wind out of the sails. The nWo episode, while entertaining, provided nothing that was not already available on the nWo DVD that was released a few years back. In fact, nearly all of the commentary that was featured on the Monday Night War episode was directly lifted from that release.
The same held true for the third episode, which discussed the Attitude Era. Instead of offering a fresh perspective, it basically took the same approach as the DVD box set that was released a few years back. This episode also relied on commentary that is many years old.
My question after watching the first three episodes is simple: Where do they go from here? At the end of episode three, they were already to the end of the Attitude Era and discussed the acquisition of WCW, basically glossing over the entire feud in a little less than an hour.
– KENTA’s endorsement company, PARCO stores, signed a deal with WWE to produce and sell historical t-shirts and merchandise, including the nWo, Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage starting on September 1st.
– The following is a new AfterBuzz TV interview with WWE Diva Cameron, who discusses the upcoming new season of WWE Total Divas and more.
Last night’s Raw was held in Portland, Oregon and featured a crowd packed with hipsters, a few memorable contests, and the nWo reunion that had been teased on social media all week leading into the event.
The show was the “go-home” edition of Raw and was the final build for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. As always, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following Monday’s Raw.
5. Is Corporate Kane Back Permanently?
Kane was back in his suit and tie this week on Raw, having once again handed in his mask on last week’s episode. The Demon made a match between Roman Reigns and RybAxel before departing for the locker room.
My question is simple: Does Kane have anything left in the tank with his corporate character? It seems the company doesn’t know what to do with him, as he has shifted back and forth between demon and corporate Kane over the past few months. If Kane is going to become a permanent fixture in the Authority storyline, hopefully something worthwhile comes of it, because it otherwise simply results in a convoluted storyline.
4. Where Have the Usos Been?
The Usos were absent from Raw this past week (other than the announcers issuing an open challenge on their behalf for tonight’s Main Event), and with SummerSlam only a few days away, they are also noticeably absent from the pay-per-view card. There are rumors of a fatal four-way tag team contest being put together for the pre-show, but nothing has been confirmed thus far.
With the Usos having defeated basically every tag team on the roster and holding the titles for most of the year, I think it is time for the brothers to drop the titles. Nothing against the Usos, but they have fought everyone on the roster and their run is quickly becoming stale. It appeared the titles were going to be put on the Wyatt Family a few weeks back, but the Usos prevailed. Hopefully a title change can shake up an otherwise stagnant tag team division.
As noted previously, WWE is promoting special guests and surprises for next week’s “Hulk Hogan Birthday Celebration” on RAW. This has led to speculation that there might be a possible New World Order reunion at the show, with Hogan’s former nWo buddies Kevin Nash and Scott Hall rumored for the show.
Hall tweeted the following about the subject, further adding fuel to the rumors of an nWo reunion next week:
The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Kevin Nash:
Hulk Hogan’s nWo heel turn and heels today: “[Hulk] was watching the show, and he saw the momentum really shifting. He saw Scott and I as heel personas were perceived as being cool. He thought if there was a time to switch, it was now, because he could see the momentum going with Scott and I. So when he jumped, it was a shock, but it was a tsunami that pushed the thing for almost three years. It’s so hard. You look at John Cena. He plays the guy in the white cowboy hat. Our society has gone with the anti-heroes probably since Brandon Lee in ‘The Crow.’ Times have changed. It’s no longer waving the flag as much as it was. There’s a lot of disgruntled people in society. When you look at the demographic, you ask, ‘Where’s the money at?’ Well, the money’s in this kind of tweener guy — a bad guy with a cool persona. One thing about Hulk. If he smells dollar signs. it doesn’t take him long to make a decision. He saw the way it was going and made the decision.”
The nWo and DX in WCW and WWE: “They both had members of the Kliq. DX is what really made Triple H. He was playing the blue blood, and then Triple H went away from that persona and kind of took over DX, and that’s when Paul Levesque got to be himself. That’s when I think he really took off because he’s got an incredible sense of humor, a really fun loving guy. They kind of took our [nWo] formula. They [DX] were younger guys, and they made it a little hipper. Anytime WWE produces anything it’s going to be produced better.”
The WWE roster was absolutely stacked following the acquisition of WCW. This was especially true after the top WCW superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, and Kevin Nash eventually signed with the company.
It quickly became apparent that there was too much talent to adequately feature everyone on a weekly basis. This led to the WWE splitting into two separate brands in the form of Raw and SmackDown. The brand extension seemed fresh at first, but it quickly lost traction after superstars were constantly shifted from one brand to the other as a way to increase ratings.
The brand extension era is characterized by pay-per-views that did not perform as well as those in the Attitude Era, largely because fans did not want to pay to see only half of the roster.
During the summer of 2001, the WWE was under attack and at risk of a hostile takeover. After finally winning the Monday Night Wars, the WWE had to find a way to integrate the influx of talent that was acquired with the purchase of WCW.
Their first attempt at doing so would come in the form of the Invasion storyline, which saw former WCW and ECW employees “invading” the WWE in an attempt to take over the company. If this sounds a bit like the nWo’s plot to conquer WCW, well that’s because it is essentially the same story.
Ultimately, the program forced the WWE to fend off the intruders by forming a coalition to battle Team Alliance, which was led by Shane and Stephanie McMahon, the respective on-screen owners of WCW and ECW at the time.
Many fans have cited the Invasion storyline as one of the most entertaining periods in recent WWE history, as it featured a number of matchups that had previously been unimaginable. However, there were many aspects of the storyline that could have been handled better, resulting in a program with great potential that was squandered by poor booking. Here are ten reasons why the Invasion storyline was not as memorable as some fans recall.
– The WWE DVD on Paul Heyman, “Ladies And Gentlemen, My Name Is Paul Heyman,” which is scheduled for an August 5th release, is scheduled to be built around Heyman as the guy who managed the guy who broke Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Among the people who filmed interviews for the DVD are Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Joey Styles, Mick Foley, Rob Van Dam, Jim Ross, Bill Apter and Stephanie McMahon.
– The Greatest Factions DVD that WWE is producing is set to be built around D-Generation X and the Four Horsemen as the key factions. The DVD will also cover the New World Order, The Nexus, The Shield, The Wyatt Family, Evolution, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Nation Of Domination, The Straight Edge Society and The Heenan Family.
At first glance, Alexander Rusev seems like a rehash of a character WWE fans have seen countless times: the monster foreign superstar who feasts on unworthy foes while being accompanied by a manager who serves as his mouthpiece.
Some have contended that the character is so unoriginal that it was completely lifted from a Rocky movie of all places, as he has drawn comparisons to Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.
Despite the fact that many believe he is a recycled, cliché character, Rusev has managed to make his way through the WWE’s NXT division and to the main roster in a relatively short amount of time.
Rusev has been booked as a monster, but do fans actually view him as one?
Since making his debut on the main roster, Rusev made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble and has been feasting on jobbers ever since. Unlike some of his critics, I believe that Rusev can be successful at the main level, but only if he is booked differently from similar heels in the past.
In recent years, the WWE has chosen to rely upon the tried-and-true formula of debuting a monster heel and serving him a hearty portion of heels (see Ryback for example). They expect that if the heel is shoved down fans’ throats long enough by competing in squash matches, they will eventually realize his dominance and he will be over in no time.
It appears they are attempting to take the same course of action with Rusev, as he has competed against only jobbers and will face R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at Extreme Rules. Hell, they even threw Rusev into the coalition of jobbers that worked to beat down the Shield during the 11-on-3 handicap match a few weeks back on Raw.
As previously reported, a “Twitter War” broke out between Kevin Nash and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper regarding a backstage incident between the two in WCW. The situation started when Piper gave his side of the story on his “Piper’s Pit” podcast, prompting Nash to respond via Twitter and give his side of the story. Nash’s former nWo buddy Sean Waltman (aka X-Pac), who was a witness to the incident, chimed in via Twitter to share his side of the story.
@RealKevinNash@R_Roddy_Piper I just heard it. On the life of my children Roddy is bold face lying & I hate to say that,because I love Roddy
Since the launch of the WWE Network, over 600,000 fans have subscribed to the service. While it’s a bit below the one million subscribers they were hoping for, it’s still an admirable number for a service that is still only available in the United States.
With live access to every pay-per-view and a vault containing every special event in WWE, WCW, and ECW history, it is safe to assume that most fans signed up in order to gain access to the special events, and at the reduced price of only $9.99 per month, who can blame them?
There is a lot more to the WWE Network than just a vault of old events and live access to each month’s pay-per-view, however. There is also a boatload of original content. Here is a list of some of the must-see original content on the Network.
5. Legends of Wrestling: Families – Watching a bunch of old-timers talk about the good old days is usually about as exciting as watching paint dry, but some of these are actually pretty entertaining. One of the best round-table discussions includes a panel consisting of Sergeant Slaughter, Jim Ross, Ted DiBiase, and James J. Dillon. The group discusses the importance and prevalence of families in the WWE. It is interesting to hear DiBiase discuss how having a father in the business influenced him to become a professional wrestler.
Daniel Bryan’s journey to WrestleMania is something most fans will be able to enjoy.
4. Journey to WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan – This is obviously one of the newest pieces of original content on the Network. It follows Daniel Bryan on his week leading up to this year’s WrestleMania and provides a number of exclusive interviews leading up to the event. It also discusses his rise to the top after initially being terminated from the company, with commentary from William Regal and Pat Patterson discussing how the company made a mistake in his firing. The most interesting parts of this documentary are the backstage scenes and hearing his fellow wrestlers praise him for his accomplishments.
Apparently the reason WWE decided to induct Scott Hall into the WWE Hall Of Fame under his “Razor Ramon” character is in fact due to plans for a future nWo induction, where he would of course be himself.
In a related note, there has been discussion regarding the possibility of inducting Kevin Nash under his “Diesel” character in WWE, saving his induction under his real name, along with Hall, for the future nWo induction.
While there have been some rumors that the reason WWE is inducting Scott Hall as “Razor Ramon” to the WWE Hall Of Fame this year is because they plan to induct him again as Scott Hall next year as part of a faction-induction with the nWo, that likely won’t be the case, at least not in 2015.
From all accounts, it appears as though WWE is hoping to induct The Rock next year, and the guys in the nWo (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) probably won’t want to be inducted the same year as Rock, as they would likely be featured as the “co-main event” of the ceremony with The Rock being the obvious headliner.
