TRIPLE H

WrestleMania history

12 (1996): Lost to The Ultimate Warrior
13 (1997): Defeated Goldust
14 (1998): Defeated challenger Owen Hart to retain the European title
15 (1999): Lost to Kane by disqualification
16 (2000): Defeated challengers The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show in a fatal four-way match to retain the WWF title
17 (2001): Lost to The Undertaker
18 (2002): Defeated Chris Jericho to win the undisputed world title
19 (2003): Defeated challenger Booker T. to retain the world heavyweight title
20 (2004): Lost the world heavyweight title to Chris Benoit in a triple threat match. Shawn Michaels also was in the match.
21 (2005): Lost the world heavyweight title to Batista
22 (2006): Lost to WWE champion John Cena
24 (2008): Lost to WWE champion Randy Orton in a triple threat match. Cena also was in the match.

Comments: Has yet to have his defining WrestleMania moment, but few have a better WrestleMania resume. Triple H has wrestled in a record seven world title matches at WrestleMania and has closed the show five times. … At WM 16, he became the first heel to successfully defend the WWF title. He also did so at WM 19. … Became the second undisputed world champion with his victory over Jericho at WM 18. … Triple threat match with Benoit and Michaels at WM 20 is one of the best–worked WrestleMania main events of all time. … Solidified Batista as a money player by putting him over at WM 21. … Did the same for Cena the following year.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through Sunday.

To view the list through today, click here.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (39)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

There were no wrong turns Monday night on Raw as the road to WrestleMania nears its destination. The three main WrestleMania matches – Randy Orton versus Triple H, The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels, and John Cena versus Edge versus The Big Show – were all built up well.

Orton cut yet another fantastic promo, as he filled in the blanks on his saga with Triple H and the McMahon family. The segment ended with the return of Vince and Shane McMahon and a pull-apart brawl between Triple H and the McMahons and Legacy.

One of the key points of Orton’s promo was his admission that he knew exactly what he was doing the entire time he was wreaking havoc on the McMahons, and that his claim of having IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder) was all a work.

Michaels, whose match with The Undertaker might be as anticipated as any at WrestleMania, once again got the better of “The Dead Man” with his mind games.

The lights went out during Michaels’ promo and The Undertaker was in the ring when they came back on. Michaels, however, was nowhere to be found. It seemed obvious that Michaels was hiding in the casket that he had brought out as a prop. After a few seconds, Undertaker figured it out. He had a great look on his face as he slowly turned to face at the casket. When he opened it, Michaels wasn’t there. As a frustrated Undertaker began to walk away, Michaels appeared from under the casket and took out Undertaker with a superkick. Great stuff.

As for the Cena-Edge-Big Show program, Raw picked up where Friday's Smackdown left off, with the focus being on the title rather than the soap opera with Vickie Guerrero. WWE did a good job of making Big Show seem like the favorite to win the match, as he scored a decisive win over Cena. It was a smart booking decision, because Big Show isn’t as big of a star as either Cena or Edge, so he needs the boost.

Other thoughts on Monday night’s show:

Vince and Shane making quick work of Orton’s security and then standing toe-to-toe with Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes was a little hard to take seriously. By the way, did DiBiase not get the memo about wearing the new Legacy T-shirt? …

Orton said his motive for targeting Triple H’s family is to get revenge for a jealous Triple H turning on him five years ago. It’s interesting that WWE would focus on that aspect of their history, because it doesn’t make Triple H a sympathetic figure and Orton seems justified for seeking retribution. Theoretically, that would make Orton the babyface in this feud, but the fact that Orton “crossed the line” by physically attacking Triple H’s wife and in-laws makes him the heel. …

It looked like Chris Jericho and Jerry Lawler were tagging each other pretty good. I’m surprised there wasn’t a greater tease of Mickey Rourke being at WrestleMania. I thought there was even a chance that Rourke would send in a taped promo. …

Normally, I would say it’s incredibly stupid to give away a WrestleMania match on TV six days before the event, but in the case of the JBL-Rey Mysterio match, I don’t think it was a bad idea. There was no interest in this match, and now I think there is at least a little interest. …

What was the point of having 18 divas out there when only a handful of them were actually going to get into the match? Out of all those women, I would never have guessed that Tiffany would be the one to score the winning pin. …

Santino Marella was funnier than he has been lately. I loved his Jack Tunney reference, although I don’t think the live audience got it at all. And did Marella say he was a modern-day Davy Crockett or David Crockett?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
        

RANDY SAVAGE

2 (1986): Defeated George Steele to retain the Intercontinental title
3 (1987): Lost the Intercontinental title to Ricky Steamboat
4 (1988): Defeated Butch Reed in the first round of the WWF title tournament; defeated Greg Valentine in the quarterfinals; defeated One Man Gang in the semifinals; defeated Ted DiBiase in the final to win the title
5 (1989): Lost the WWF title to Hulk Hogan
6 (1990): Along with Queen Sherri, lost to Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire in a mixed tag team match
7 (1991): Lost to the Ultimate Warrior in a retirement match
8 (1992): Defeated Ric Flair to win the WWF title
10 (1994): Defeated Crush in a falls count anywhere match

Comments: Classic against Steamboat at WM 3 is still talked about today. ... Reached the pinnacle of his career by winning the WWF title tournament at WM 4. ... That match was the beginning of a story line that slowly built over the next year, as Savage and Hogan went from friends to bitter enemies. ... The feud culminated in a Hogan-Savage match at WM 5. ... At WM 6, he participated in WWE's first mixed tag match. ... Retirement match against Ultimate Warrior at WM 7 featured the emotional reunion of Savage and Elizabeth after the match. ... Won the WWF title for a second time at WM 8.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through Sunday.

To view the list through today, click here.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

Since the response to the placement of Bret Hart at No. 8 on the top 25 stars of WrestleMania list has been overwhelmingly negative, I figure I should explain my reasoning behind the pick.

Before getting into that, however, I just want to reiterate that I do these lists because I think they’re fun and they spark interesting debates. I do admire the passion that a lot of you bring, but, please, let’s not lose perspective here.

As I have said several times, it’s all subjective and there is no right or wrong or definitive list. I have no problem with people disagreeing with me and I respect everyone’s opinion – even if a segment of readers don’t respect mine.

A good number of the comments I received felt that Hart should have been ranked in the top five or six. Actually, I wouldn’t have a problem with him being as high as six. The truth is that I feel pretty strongly about the top five, but I struggled with six through eight. I think a strong argument could be made for any particular order with the three guys I have in those spots.

I have to admit that I was surprised by the outrage at placing Hart just two or three notches below where a lot of you thought he belonged. When you consider all the wrestlers who have been at WrestleMania over the past 24 years, I think No. 8 is a very good ranking.

There were several factors that led to my decision to rank Hart where I did. His longevity as well as memorable matches against Roddy Piper, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin guaranteed that he would be in the top 10. But part of the criteria also was position on the card and impact on the business.

The first six of Hart’s 12 WrestleMania appearances were either tag team matches (against the likes of The Bolsheviks, Greg Valentine and The Honky Tonk Man and The Nasty Boys) or battle royals. When Hart did work in main events – at WrestleManias 9, 10 and 12, WWE business was in a down turn. And as much as we all love the Hart-Austin match at WrestleMania 13, that event has the lowest buy rate of any WrestleMania. WWE’s signature show had lost a lot of its luster, as WCW’s big event – Starrcade – destroyed WrestleMania that year. None of that is necessarily Hart’s fault, but facts are facts.

Did the Hart-Austin match at WM 13 make Austin? It certainly played a large role, but what really shot Austin through the roof was his match against Michaels the following year with Mike Tyson as the special guest referee. The buy rates at WrestleMania 14 saw a huge increase from the previous year and led directly to WWE overtaking WCW in the ratings and sending the company to unprecedented heights.

Whether Hart was a victim of bad timing of circumstances or whatever, the truth is that he was on top during a period when interest in wrestling was in decline. His world title reigns occurred after Hulkamania and before the Attitude Era.

In response to those who pointed out how great of a wrestler Hart was, I agree, but this list isn’t about who the best worker is, was or ever will be, it’s about who the biggest stars were at WrestleMania. But let’s look at match quality just for argument’s sake. There is no question that Hart had four fantastic singles matches at WrestleMania, but his two matches against Yokozuna are among the worst WrestleMania main events in history. And I was sitting in the second row at WrestleMania 11 in Hartford, Conn., so I can say firsthand that the Hart-Bob Bob Backlund submission match was a stinker.

So there you have it. Agree or disagree, as least you now know where I was coming from.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

I’ve gotten some strange e-mails in my time, but perhaps none more strange than one I received last week.

Rather than trying to describe it, I’ll let the e-mail speak for itself. Here is an excerpt:

I am going to be putting my most prized possession up for auction. A used piece of the late, WWF/WWE Hall of Fame wrestler “MR. PERFECT” Curt Hennig's chewing gum. I acquired this rare collectible myself, as I was sitting front row of a WCW Thunder television show in Salisbury, MD, when I was a child. The used chewing gum smells like a cinnamon gum and has never been removed from the film container I put it in, that night, during his wrestling match.

I have a VCR tape recording of the WCW Thunder television show, for validity of me being there. I also have a ticket stub to show validity of me being there to acquire “MR. PERFECT” Curt Hennig's used chewing gum. More over, a DNA test would prove that it is positively Curt Hennig's gum.

I don’t know if this is a rib or if this guy is really serious. What I do know is that I’m a big Curt Hennig fan – but not that big.

***
Shawn Michaels was voted the greatest wrestler ever from Texas in an online poll on wrestlingobserver.com last week. He received 31.8 percent of the vote, well ahead of runner-up Steve Austin (21.9 percent). Before anyone asks, no, I didn’t stuff the ballot box.

***
I conducted a phone interview with Edge last week. The Q&A will be posted on the blog in the next day or so.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

BRET HART

WrestleMania history

2 (1986): Was the last man eliminated in a battle royal won by Andre The Giant
3 (1987): Along with Jim Neidhart and Danny Davis, defeated The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana
4 (1988): Was the last man eliminated in a battle royal won by Bad News Brown
5 (1989): Along with Neidhart, defeated Greg Valentine and The Honky Tonk Man
6 (1990): Along with Neidhart, defeated The Bolsheviks
7 (1991): Along with Neidhart, lost the WWF tag team title to The Nasty Boys
8 (1992): Defeated Roddy Piper to win the Intercontinental title
9 (1993): Lost the WWF title to Yokozuna
10 (1994): Defeated Yokozuna to win the WWF title; lost to Owen Hart
11 (1995): Defeated Bob Backlund in an I Quit match
12 (1996): Lost the WWF title to Shawn Michaels less than two minutes into overtime in a 60-minute Iron Man Match
13 (1997): Defeated Steve Austin in a submission match

Comments: Appeared in a record 12 consecutive WrestleManias, a testament to his ability and durability. .. After wrestling either in tag matches or battle royals during his first six WrestleManias, he had his first one-on-one match at WM 8. It was a memorable battle with Piper for the Intercontinental title and was Hart’s biggest singles victory to that point. … Headlined WMs 9, 10 and 12 in WWF title matches. … At WM 10, he also had a fantastic match with his brother. … Match against rival Michaels at WM 12 is the longest in WrestleMania history (61:52, according to the Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts). … Engaged in one of the most intense matches in WrestleMania history at WM 13 against Austin. The match featured a double turn, with Hart going heel and Austin going babyface.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

RODDY PIPER

1 (1985): Along with Paul Orndorff, lost to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T
2 (1986): Lost to Mr. T by disqualification in a boxing match
3 (1987): Defeated Adrian Adonis in a hair vs. hair match. It was billed as Piper’s retirement match.
6 (1990): Wrestled Bad News Brown to a double countout
8 (1992): Lost the Intercontinental title to Bret Hart
12 (1996): Defeated Goldust in a Hollywood Back Lot Brawl

Non-wrestling appearances

5 (1989): Hosted Piper's Pit with Morton Downey Jr. and Brother Love
7 (1991): Was in Virgil's corner for his match against Ted DiBiase
10 (1994): Was guest referee in WWF title match between Hart and Yokozuna
11 (1995): Was guest referee in I Quit match between Hart and Bob Backlund
19 (2003): Did a run-in during Hogan vs. Vince McMahon match
21 (2005): Hosted Piper’s Pit with Steve Austin

Comments: Every great babyface needs a great heel to go against, and Piper was that guy for Hogan. ... Tag-team match at the inaugural WrestleMania is perhaps the most hyped match ever, and it laid a strong foundation for what WrestleMania would become. ... Boxing match against Mr. T headlined the New York portion of WM 2, which took place in three cities. ... Retirement match against Adonis was promoted as the top match on the undercard at WM 3, ahead of the famous Randy Savage-Ricky Steamboat match. ... He and fellow babyface Hart perhaps stole the show at WM 8. ... Final wrestling appearance (until this coming WrestleMania) was the memorable Back Lot Brawl against Goldust at WM 12 that began in a Hollywood lot, included an O.J. Simpson-inspired car chase and ended in the ring. ... Continued to be a presence at WrestleMania over the years in various capacities.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

To put a new twist on an old Ric Flair catchphrase, “Now we go to Sunday school!”

I thought Shawn Michaels’ parody of The Undertaker’s entrance and promos stole the show on Friday night’s episode of Smackdown. It looked like a scene from Jesus Christ Superstar as Michaels and the hooded druids made their way to the ring all dressed in white amid smoke, bright lights and the image of beaming cross on the stage screen.

After imitating Undertaker’s methodical procession to the ring, Michaels bowed his head and slowly removed his Undertaker-style hat, but instead of looking up and rolling his eyes in the back of his head, he looked straight into the camera with a sheepish grin.

Then, in explaining the stark contrast between him and The Undertaker, Michaels quoted scripture with the same delivery as Undertaker’s signature dark promos. One of Michaels’ best lines was when he said that Undertaker “walks amongst the shadows, where I thrive in the spotlight.”

At the conclusion of his promo, Michaels bowed his head just as The Undertaker does after delivering his “Rest in Peace” line. The segment was good at that point, but it became great when the somber music abruptly stopped, Michaels’ familiar entrance music started playing and Michaels began prancing around the ring doing his “Sexy Boy” routine. That had me laughing out loud.

I thought fort sure that The Undertaker was one of the druids and was about to attack Michaels, but Undertaker popped up though the ring canvas instead. That made for a better visual, as Undertaker was figuratively rising from hell. Undertaker grabbed Michaels, but he was able to slip away. Michaels really seemed to be channeling his mid-to-late 1990s obnoxious “Heartbreak Kid” character, dancing and taunting The Undertaker as he retreated up the ramp and onto the stage.

This was a very entertaining segment, and WWE continues to do a good job of making Michaels seem like a real threat to end The Undertaker’s winning streak at WrestleMania.

Other thoughts on Friday night’s show:

The Edge-John Cena-Big Show program took a turn for the better, as Cena cut a promo that put a serious spin on their triple threat match at WrestleMania. He stressed the importance of the world heavyweight title being at stake and said it wasn’t about a love triangle for him. It would have been more effective, however, if WWE had not aired a recap of Cena reading that silly poem on Raw.

Also, Big Show came off looking more like a monster than a love-sick giant, as he destroyed Jesse and Festus in a handicap match, and then showed good intensity after Cena dumped him out of the ring. Curiously, Edge and Vickie Guerrero were not on the show. Isn’t she the general manager? Who was in charge? …

A Cena-Big Show match is scheduled for Raw on Monday. That means we will have seen all three of the possible singles matches between Edge, Cena and Big Show before WrestleMania. It seems to me like you would want to keep them apart before the big match. …

The best thing regarding the Hardy Boyz feud Friday night was the video package that chronicled the brothers’ relationship from childhood to where they are now. Matt’s promo was fine, and hugging and kissing the same type of dog that Jeff lost in the fire achieved its purpose. Jeff’s short promo reminded me of an Ultimate Warrior interview – minus the face paint, bulging biceps and snorting. …

I think R-Truth is underused and I don’t like seeing him lose, but it was a good booking decision to have him put over Matt Hardy, who needs to look strong going into WrestleMania. …

Gail Kim got a decent pop in her first live appearance on TV – a run-in during the Michelle McCool-Maryse match – since returning to WWE. …

Chavo Guerrero has become one of the least interesting characters in WWE, but he can still go in the ring. He and Rey Mysterio had the best match of the night. ...

The spot in which Christian was pushed off the ladder and onto a bunch of guys on the floor was a nice tease of the kind of action that people can expect to see in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

The Baltimore-based Eastern Wrestling Alliance is bringing former WWE star Al Snow to its wrestling school in Middle River for a seminar on Sunday.

The seminar is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and costs $50. For more information, send an e-mail to ewainfo@publicist.com or call 410-230-1868.

Note: Just wanted to extend my congratulations to “Hollywood” Bob Starr (Hulk Hogan stole his moniker, you know) on his recent engagement to Debbie Bell Timchula. Bob has been a fixture on the Maryland independent wrestling scene for years and also had a stint as an enhancement talent in WCW.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

ANDRE THE GIANT

1 (1985): Defeated Big John Studd in a body slam challenge
2 (1986): Won a battle royal that included NFL players
3 (1987): Lost to WWF champion Hulk Hogan
4 (1988): Wrestled Hogan to a double disqualification in the WWF title tournament
5 (1989): Lost to Jake Roberts by disqualification
6 (1990): Along with Haku, lost the WWF tag team title to Demolition

Non-wrestling appearance

7 (1991): Saved The Big Bossman from a post-match attack by the Heenan Family

Comments: Match against Hogan at WM 3 is one of the most famous matches not only in WrestleMania history, but in pro wrestling history. Vince McMahon once told me in an interview that as hot as Hogan was in 1987, “I would never have attempted to go into Pontiac Stadium without Andre.” Although Andre was basically immobile by that point, the match got over on star power and the excitement of seeing two of the most famous wrestlers of all time facing each other on a grand stage. ... Wrestled Hogan the following year at WM 4 in the marquee advertised match of the WWF title tournament. ... Body slam challenge against Studd at WM 1 was the top match on the undercard. ... Was last man standing in much-hyped battle royal at WM 2 that featured several NFL players, including William “Refrigerator” Perry. ... At WM 6, in his final WrestleMania match, Andre had a falling out with manager Bobby Heenan and turned babyface.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

As part of the build for the Lockdown pay-per-view on April 19, TNA booked a 20-man gauntlet cage match as the main event last night on Impact. The setup of the match is similar to WWE’s Royal Rumble in that two men start out and then every couple of minutes another wrestler joins the action. Since the match is contested inside a cage, eliminations are by pinfall rather than by being thrown over the top rope.

I thought the match – which took up most of the second hour of the show – was really good, especially for being on network television rather than on pay-per-view.

The stipulation was that the last two men in the ring would be team captains for the Lethal Lockdown match at the pay-per-view. It came down to Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, and ended with Joe pinning Angle. Perhaps I missed it, but I don’t know what was gained by Joe winning the match. Does that mean his team gets some kind of advantage?

An added bonus of having such a long main event is that there was a lot less time for the lame comedy that often brings the show down.

I did have one problem with how the match was booked, however. Inexplicably, Matt Morgan was the first to be eliminated. At some point, TNA is going to have to start elevating some younger guys to the main event level, and Morgan should be at the top of that list. Every time I think he is gaining momentum, he takes a step back.

Morgan may not be able to cut it as a top guy, but we’ll never know until he’s given an opportunity. It’s no secret that Jim Cornette has always been high on Morgan, so why not get Cornette out of the authority figure role and have him be Morgan’s manager? Just a thought.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I don’t know how good the match will be between Sting and Mick Foley at Lockdown, but I have really enjoyed their verbal confrontations. It looks as if Foley is playing the heel in this program, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily a full-blown heel turn. I was surprised that the fans at the Impact Zone were actually booing him. …

Foley couldn’t have been serious when he said that people are talking about his match with Sting and not about “that other wrestling show in April.” If he was serious, he’s definitely taken one too many chair shots to the head. TNA is doing a good job of building this match, but it’s really not in the company’s best interest to compare Lockdown to WrestleMania. …

Based on what I have read on the Internet, I think I am the only person who likes Samoa Joe’s new look and persona. To me, he comes across as much more of an intimidating presence than when he had a “normal” haircut and walked around in an un-tucked T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. He really has to lose that knife, though. …

Speaking of Joe and the knife, didn’t he supposedly use the weapon on Steiner’s face? Last week, Steiner had a mask on to cover his wounds, but this week there was no mask and I didn’t see a scratch on him. I guess when you’re a genetic freak, you heal quickly. ...

Is Awesome Kong about to do a babyface turn? If she does, I would assume that she and Raisha Saeed are going to have a falling out. And perhaps that could lead to TNA’s newest knockout arriving on the scene – Cheerleader Melissa. …

Mike Tenay’s sit-down interview with Beer Money and Team 3-D was effective as far as making their match at Lockdown seem special. It was refreshing to see opponents sitting across from each other without anyone yelling or it turning into a brawl. …

I love that Jeff Jarrett brought back his “slapnuts” line. …

I did not understand a single word that Booker T. said last night.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR

4 (1988): Defeated Hercules Hernandez
5 (1989): Lost the Intercontinental title to Rick Rude
6 (1990): Defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWF title
7 (1991): Defeated Randy Savage in a retirement match
12 (1996): Defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H)

Non-wrestling appearance

8 (1992): Did a surprise run-in to save Hogan from an attack by Sid Justice and Papa Shango

Comments: Epic match with Hogan at WM 6 was historic for several reasons. It was the first match between the WWF’s top two babyfaces for the world title since 1972, and in handing Hogan his first clean loss since “The Hulkster” returned to the WWF at the end of 1983, Warrior became the first man to simultaneously hold the WWE and Intercontinental titles. The highly anticipated clash between the two superhero-like figures (but limited workers) exceeded expectations. ... Memorable victory over Savage at WM 7 also was better than expected. ... After some time away from the WWF, Warrior made a surprise return at WM 8. During a two-on-one attack on Hogan after his match against Justice, Warrior’s music hit and he received a huge pop as he ran down the aisle and made the save. ... One of the focal points of WM 12 was yet another return to the WWF by Warrior, who squashed Helmsley in about a minute and a half.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

WNST 1570 AM’s bus trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia to see the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view at the Liacouras Center on April 19 is now available for purchase here.

Along with transportation and a ticket to the show, the package includes a backstage meet and greet with TNA stars, as well as refreshments on the bus.

If you live in the area, hopefully I’ll see you on the bus.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

JOHN CENA

20 (2004): Defeated The Big Show to win the U.S. title
21 (2005): Defeated JBL to win the WWE Title
22 (2006): Defeated challenger Triple H to retain the WWE title
23 (2007): Defeated challenger Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE title
24 (2008): Lost to WWE champion Randy Orton in a triple threat match. Triple H also was in the match.

Comments: Has wrestled in title matches in all five of his WrestleMania appearances, including four for a world title. Only Hulk Hogan, Triple H and Michaels have been in more world title matches at WrestleMania. … Delivered an FU to the 500-pound Big Show at WM 20. … Victory over Triple H by submission at WM 22 came as a surprise to many. … That match went on last, as did his title defense against Michaels at WM 23. … Returned earlier than expected from a torn pectoral muscle to participate in WWE title match at WM 24.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Q&A with John Cena

Video of John Cena at Tribute to the Troops news conference

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

EDGE

WrestleMania history

16 (2000): Along with Christian, defeated WWF tag team champions The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in a ladder match to win the title
17 (2001): Along with Christian, defeated WWF tag team champions The Dudley Boys and The Hardy Boyz in a TLC match to win the title
18 (2002): Defeated Booker T
21 (2005): Won the Money in the Bank ladder match. Other participants were: Chris Benoit, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho and Christian.
22 (2006): Defeated Mick Foley in a hardcore match
23 (2007): Lost the Money in the Bank ladder match to Mr. Kennedy. Other participants in the match were: C.M. Punk, King Booker, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton and Finlay.
24 (2008): Lost the world heavyweight title to The Undertaker

Comments: Was a participant in WrestleMania's first tag team ladder match, TLC tag team match and Money in the Bank ladder match -- and he was on the winning end in each of them. ... He and Foley engaged in an intense hardcore match at WM 22 that climaxed with one of the most memorable holy you-know-what moments in WrestleMania history, as Edge speared Foley off the ring apron and they both went through a flaming table on the floor. ... Wrestled in tremendous match with The Undertaker that went on last at WM 24.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

As I watched Chris Jericho mercilessly pound on Ric Flair’s bloody head while the incensed crowd showered him with boos and derisive chants, I thought to myself how nothing else on the show could possibly top this opening segment of Raw Monday night.

As heated as the angle was, however, Randy Orton’s sadistic attack on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at the end of the show raised the bar even higher.

Triple H had gained the advantage the past couple weeks in his ferocious game of one-upmanship with Orton, and it seemed as if Orton was losing some of his heat because of it. But he got it all back and then some on Monday when he incapacitated Triple H (with the aid of Ted DiBiase Jr., Cody Rhodes and a pair of handcuffs) and then forced him to watch as he delivered a DDT to Stephanie.

Orton’s performance was off-the-charts brilliant. His facial expressions, deliberate manner and body language – the menacing way he stalked his prey reminded me of the legendary Killer Kowalski – made the violence that he perpetrated that much more intense.

Orton dropping down to his knees, hovering over an unconscious Stephanie and then kissing her while looking over at Triple H was a nice touch. That very personal violation was more effective at stirring emotions and making fans want to see these guys fight than any kicks to head or blows from a sledgehammer.

As for Jericho’s assault on Flair, it was very well done, and Jericho – like Orton – is a tremendous heel. But, in all honesty, the angle didn’t succeed in making me excited about Jericho’s handicap match against Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania.

Other thoughts on Monday night’s show:

The two aforementioned attacks both went on for quite a while, which is partly why they were so effective, but the fact that no one came out to make the save put my suspension of disbelief to the test. I’ll give WWE a pass on no one helping Triple H, because he basically only has one friend – Shawn Michaels – and he wasn’t there. But no one coming to Flair’s aid was pretty ridiculous. …

If Jerry Lawler was so mad at Jericho for beating up Flair, why didn’t he do something about it when he had the chance? I mean, most of the beat-down occurred right in front of him. Next week’s Jericho-Lawler match should be interesting. …

It was nice to see someone outsmart The Cerebral Assassin for a change. …

After seeing the heat that Orton and Jericho got, I felt bad for Edge – another great heel – for having to be involved in such a silly story line for WrestleMania. …

That poem read by John Cena was just one notch above a Dirt Sheet segment as far as lame comedy goes. Michael Cole and Lawler couldn’t even manage semi-believable fake laughs. ...

It was just a matter of time until Vickie Guerrero was back in the wheelchair. I think it’s great how she stands up whenever it’s convenient and then sits back down in the chair and gets wheeled around. …

The Michaels promo in the graveyard -- complete with spooky music that sounded like something you would hear in a Universal horror movie in the 1930s -- was good even if it was a little hokey. Then again, The Undertaker’s character has always been hokey – except, of course, when he was the “American Badass.” …

Speaking of which, I’m thrilled that I’ll get to see Kid Rock performing live at WrestleMania in Houston. …

The eight-man tag between the Money in the Bank ladder match competitors was fine. With five babyfaces and three heels, however, Finlay was put on the heel side and I don’t think it was ever mentioned in commentary that he was teaming with guys that he didn’t like. …

The Jeff Hardy-Dolph Ziggler extreme rules match was an entertaining squash. Ziggler is being wasted as a jobber to the stars. As I have said before, I think he could make an impact on ECW. …

JBL gets kudos for getting in a Don Leo Jonathan reference. Younger fans probably have no idea who he is, but I remember “The Mormon Giant” challenging Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF title when I was about 7 years old. As far as wrestling ability, Jonathan is perhaps the best big man that I have ever seen. Plus, he had awesome mutton chops. …

Kowalski, Jonathan and Sammartino all mentioned in this post. Man, I’m old.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (48)
        

I have some news for those of you who have been asking about WNST 1570 AM’s bus trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia to see the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view at the Liacouras Center on April 19.

I spoke with someone from the station today and the trip is a go. I don’t have all the specifics yet, but I can confirm that a backstage meet and greet with TNA stars is part of the package. Details should be forthcoming by the end of the week. I'll post them as soon as I have them.

I’m definitely going. It should be fun.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

KURT ANGLE

16 (2000): In a triple threat match, lost the Intercontinental title to Chris Benoit and the European title to Chris Jericho
17 (2001): Defeaed Benoit
18 (2002): Defeated Kane
19 (2003): Lost the WWE title to Brock Lesnar
20 (2004): Lost to WWE champion Eddie Guerrero
21 (2005): Defeated Shawn Michaels
22 (2006): Lost the world heavyweight title to Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match. Randy Orton was also in the match.

Comments: In a triple threat match at WM 16, he lost both the Intercontinental and European titles without being pinned. ... Also wasn't pinned when he lost the world heavyweight title to Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match at WM 22. ... Participated in three world title matches overall at WrestleMania, including one against Lesnar that went on last at WM 19. Angle put off spinal fusion surgery to compete in that contest. ... Match against Michaels at WM 21 went close to 30 minutes and lived up to high expectations.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Photo courtesy of PRNewsFoto/TNA Wrestling

Also see:
Q&A with Kurt Angle

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

RIC FLAIR

8 (1992): Lost the WWF title to Randy Savage
18 (2002): Lost to The Undertaker
20 (2004): Along with Randy Orton and Batista defeated The Rock and Mick Foley in a handicap match
22 (2006): Lost the Money in the Bank ladder match to Rob Van Dam. Other participants were: Matt Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Finlay and Shelton Benjamin.
24 (2008): Lost to Shawn Michaels in a match with the stipulation that Flair had to retire if he lost

Comments: Ended his brilliant 35-year career on the grand stage at WM 24 in one of the most emotional moments in WrestleMania history. ... Unsuccessful title defense against Savage at WM 8 was the climax to a memorable feud that began when Flair produced doctored photos that depicted him having an affair with Elizabeth. Moments after losing to Savage, a bloody Flair tried to force a kiss on Elizabeth, who slapped him in the face. ... At WM 18, he engaged in a bloody brawl with The Undertaker in the longest match on the card.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

The final segment on Smackdown Friday night was entertaining and disappointing at the same time.

The idea of a love triangle involving Edge, Vickie Guerrero and The Big Show is so absurd that the story line is actually fun to watch (at least for me). I got a kick out of Edge, Big Show and John Cena all trading insults last night. And after Guerrero took an inadvertent spear from Edge, the look on Big Show’s face was priceless.

The problem, however, is that while all of this is amusing, it just doesn’t feel like an angle worthy of a world heavyweight title match at WrestleMania. It seems more like a match that would headline one of WWE’s “B” pay-per-views. I am interested, though, to see who Vickie ends up with.

Other thoughts on Friday night’s show:

Triple H cut a good promo to open the show, but I groaned when he said that he and Stephanie McMahon are “married in real life.” So does that mean that wrestling is fake? We all know its entertainment, but that shouldn’t be stated within the context of the show. He could have just said that everyone knew they were married but they kept it off TV for business reasons and left it at that. …

It’s pretty amazing how Vladimir Kozlov went from being undefeated to losing just about every week. Coming off recent losses to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, Kozlov was beaten fairly easily by Triple H. During that match, Kozlov looked bad when he mistimed taking a clothesline over the top rope, as he began to jump before Triple H had made contact. …

Excluding the Triple H-Kozlov contest, the 500th episode of Smackdown featured some pretty good matches: MVP-Shelton Benjamin, Michaels-Kane, Undertaker-JBL and Jeff Hardy-The Brian Kendrick. …

I was glad to see MVP win the U.S. title from Benjamin. Not that the U.S. title means much these days, but it might be a springboard to bigger things for MVP. Hey, I can hope, can’t I? …
The under-pushed Kendrick is now so far down in the pecking order that he didn’t even get to make his entrance. …

I loved Hardy’s look. The face paint definitely makes him appear more menacing, although I wonder if the teenyboppers like his face being covered up. …

After not being mentioned on Raw or ECW, the Von Erich family’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame was announced and a video package was shown. I still can’t believe Mike and Chris Von Erich are going to be Hall of Famers. Fake Von Erichs Waldo and Lance are even more worthy.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

RANDY ORTON

20 (2004): Along with Ric Flair and Batista defeated The Rock and Mick Foley in a handicap match
21 (2005): Lost to The Undertaker
22 (2006): Participated in a triple threat match for the world heavyweight title in which Rey Mysterio won the title from Kurt Angle
23 (2007): Lost the Money in the Bank ladder match to Mr. Kennedy. Other participants were: Edge, C.M. Punk, King Booker, Jeff Hardy, Finlay and Matt Hardy.
24 (2008): Defeated challengers John Cena and Triple H in a triple threat match to retain the WWE Title

Comments: Scored the pinfall on Foley in a star-studded handicap match at WM 20 that helped catapult him to superstar status. ... Match against Undertaker at WM 21 was one of Undertaker's best WrestleMania matches. ... Participated in two triple threat world title matches at WrestleMania. In a surprise result, he successfully defended the WWE title against Cena and Triple H at WM 24.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Photo courtesy of WWE

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

Mick Foley delivered his best performance on the microphone since joining TNA last night on Impact. A compelling show-long angle involving Foley, Sting, Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett culminated in the official announcement of a Foley-Sting main event at the Lockdown pay-per-view on April 19

All four guys played their roles well, but it was Foley who was the key to selling the angle. His explanation for smashing Sting over the head with a chair – on purpose this time – wasn’t too far-fetched. The idea was that Foley didn’t appreciate Sting saying that he is on the inactive list, and he also felt that Sting was taking pity on him during the tag match last night that saw Foley and Jarrett take on Sting and Angle. Foley also pointed out how he can’t help but want to be involved in the action when he is so close to the action.

It looks as this point as if Foley and Sting will both remain babyfaces (Sting never really did turn heel) heading into their match, which is probably a good decision. It would be an uphill battle trying to get fans to boo either one of them, and a heel turn isn’t really necessary for this to work. It would be entertaining, though, to see Foley join the Main Event Mafia just to see him in a custom-made suit and one of those snazzy Main Event Mafia track suits.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

There was a lot of talking in the opening segment with Foley, Sting, Angle, Jarrett and Kevin Nash (I think it went on for close to 15 minutes), but it was mostly good stuff. Angle’s mention of the Montreal Screwjob made me groan, though. It’s such a cliche at this point, not to mention the fact that it’s yet another WWE reference. ...

If Sting was as good at cutting promos in 1990 as he is now, his stints as world champion would have lasted a lot longer. ...

Surprisingly, feuding announcers Mike Tenay and Don West got along for the most part. I usually hate angles being abruptly dropped like they never happened, but I’m fine with this one going away. The problem is that I’m not certain if it’s really over or not. After playing it straight for about the first 90 minutes and never acknowledging their problems over the past couple weeks, Tenay and West started getting snippy with each other. ...

I’ve seen a lot of criticism on the Internet of Samoa Joe’s new look and character, but I think it’s a big improvement. I hate that he’s putting that huge “tribal knife” to people’s throats, however. ...

Judging by A.J. Styles’ promo, it looks as if The Frontline is done. The MEM-Frontline feud was doomed from the start by bad booking. ...

I don’t like Taylor Wilde pinning Awesome Kong (even if it was just a tag match), but I realize that TNA is short on female babyfaces and someone has to challenge Kong. ...

I do like that The Beautiful People are making Madison Rayne go through an initiation instead of allowing her to just walk in and join the group. This could for some entertaining segments. ...

Did I miss something? Does anybody know why Angelina Love and Velvet Sky are mad at Cute Kip? Is it because it’s in the TNA rule book that every faction has to have infighting? ...

Is TNA really going to make Daffney (The Governor) wrestle in a pants suit? ...

Jeremy Borash’s tease for his TNA Mobile alert was about a “notorious celebrity” looking to get involved with TNA. The company already announced on its Web site and issued a press release last week about Danny Bonaduce working with TNA. ...

The Motor City Machine Guns and No Limit had a good match, but I have trouble getting past the name of Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro’s team. It reminds me of the No Limit Soldiers, and that reminds me of one of WCW’s dumbest angles (imagine the ground that covers). And a hoody-hoo to you, too.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

CHRIS JERICHO

16 (2000): Defeated European champion Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in a triple threat match to win the title
17 (2001): Defeated challenger William Regal to retain the Intercontinental title
18 (2002): Lost the undisputed world title to Triple H
19 (2003): Lost to Shawn Michaels
20 (2004): Lost to Christian
21 (2005): Lost the Money in the Bank ladder match to Edge. Other participants were: Benoit, Kane, Shelton Benjamin and Christian.
24 (2008): Lost the Money in the Bank ladder match to CM Punk. Other participants were: Benjamin, MVP, John Morrison, Carlito, and Mr. Kennedy.

Comments: Went into title match against Triple H at WM 18 billed as the first undisputed world champion. … Match against Michaels at WM 19 may have been the best match on a stacked card. … Budding romance with Trish Stratus blew up in his face when she turned on him at WM 20 and hooked up with Christian. … Participated in two Money in the Bank ladder matches, a concept that he is credited with coming up with.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Q&A with Chris Jericho (Oct. 29, 2008)

Q&A with Chris Jericho (July 7, 2007)

Video of Chris Jericho at WWE Circle of Champions

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

When I began counting down my list of the Top 25 WrestleMania stars, I figured the inclusion of one specific guy on the list was going to be especially controversial. I was prepared for it and fully expected to have to justify my decision.

I’m talking about Chris Benoit, who I slotted at No. 19. But to my surprise, most people who left comments agreed that his performances at WrestleMania warranted him being on the list despite the tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of Benoit and his wife and son.

I never thought that my No. 18 pick would be the one that got panned, but Batista has been given the thumbs down by most who have left comments or e-mailed me.

First off, I want to say that the whole reason for lists such as these are to have fun and spark debates, so I welcome the difference of opinion. It’s all so subjective and there is no right or wrong or definitive list. With that being said, I’ll explain my reasoning behind placing Batista at No. 18.

The biggest feather in his cap is that WrestleMania 21 (2005) was largely built around his challenge for the world heavyweight title against Triple H. The story line of Batista turning babyface and leaving Evolution that led up to WrestleMania sparked an increase in TV ratings and house show business, and WrestleMania 21 was Batista’s coronation as a legitimate main eventer.

At WrestleMania 23 two years later, Batista’s world heavyweight title defense against The Undertaker also was in a main event slot, and it might have been a better match than the John Cena-Shawn Michaels WWE title match that closed the show.

That’s two WrestleManias – both of which were huge financial successes – in which Batista was put in a money-drawing position. No one below him on this list can make that claim. The closest would be The Big Show (No. 23), who was in the main event at WrestleMania 16 (a fatal four-way that included The Rock, Triple H and Mick Foley) and involved in a high profile match with Floyd Mayweather last year. But in both instances, it was more the people that he was in the ring with that drew the money.

An argument can be made that, with just four WrestleMania appearances, Batista does not have the overall body of work that others have on the list. It’s a valid point, but I gave more weight to position on the card and impact on business than I did to number of appearances.

Some readers felt that Batista was too high on the list because he has sub-par in-ring skills. Whether or not Batista is a good worker really has nothing to do with his ranking, though. If it was all about wrestling ability, some prominent names yet to be revealed on this list wouldn’t be on it. Personally, I think Batista is a lot better in the ring than he is given credit for, and in his two main events at WrestleMania, he delivered fine performances.

Q&A with Batista

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

There would be no WrestleMania without this man. And I’m not talking about Vince McMahon or Hulk Hogan this time.

Howard Finkel, longtime WWE ring announcer and current jack-of-all-trades behind the scenes in WWE, is credited with coming up with the name “WrestleMania” when McMahon was planning the inaugural extravaganza.

Now, in a move that is probably overdue, “The Fink” will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of this year’s class, according to a report on pwinsider.com.

Recognized as the first official WWE employee, Finkel is the best wrestling ring announcer that I have seen. I can remember watching Finkel on Madison Square Garden shows on the USA Network in the early 1980s and thinking how much better he was than the older gentleman who did the announcing at the Baltimore Civic Center. In addition to Finkel eventually working all the major WWE shows, his distinctive voice was synonymous with syndicated WWE programming in the ’80s, as he did the voice-overs for upcoming shows in local markets.

After Finkel’s ring announcing duties were reduced in the Attitude Era, he occasionally took part in comic relief story lines. It was oddly amusing for a longtime fan such as me to see Finkel playing a goofy character and wrestling in tuxedo matches. My favorite angle involving Finkel was when he became Chris Jericho’s lackey (talking over the role that Ralphus had played in WCW) a decade ago.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishment is that he has worked for McMahon for three decades and never been fired.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

The Maryland-based Eastern Wrestling Alliance is doing a ticket giveaway for Ring Posts readers for its show Saturday night at Tall Cedars Hall in Parkville. The first five people to send an e-mail to ewainfo@publicist.com will receive a pair of tickets to the event.

The main event is a 12-man, two-ring ladder match for the EWA heavyweight title.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to ewamaryland.com.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

BATISTA

WrestleMania history

20 (2004): Along with Ric Flair and Randy Orton defeated The Rock and Mick Foley in a handicap match.
21 (2005): Defeated Triple H to win the world heavyweight title
23 (2007): Lost the world heavyweight title to The Undertaker
24 (2008): Defeated Umaga

Comments: Was WWE's hottest star when he beat Triple H for the world heavyweight title at WM 21. ... World title match with Undertaker at WM 23 was perhaps the best match on a show that also included a John Cena-Shawn Michaels main event for the WWE title.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Q&A with Batista

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

CHRIS BENOIT

WrestleMania history

16 (2000): Defeated Intercontinental champion Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match to win the title
17 (2001): Lost to Angle
19 (2003): Along with Rhyno, lost to WWF tag team champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas in a three-way match. The Guerreros also were in the match.
20 (2004): Defeated world heavyweight champion Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match to win the title
21 (2005): Lost Money in the Bank ladder match to Edge. Other participants were: Shelton Benjamin, Jericho, Kane and Christian.
22 (2006): Lost the U.S. title to JBL
23 (2007): Defeated challenger MVP to retain the U.S. title.

Comments: Benoit's inclusion on the list is based entirely on his performances at WrestleMania and does not take into account the tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of Benoit and his wife and son. ... World heavyweight title win at WM 20 is one of the best worked and most exciting main events in WrestleMania history. ... Triple threat match at WM 16 and match with Angle at WM 17 also were crowd-pleasers. ... Helped MVP get over in a match that exceeded expectations at WM 23.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

MICK FOLEY

WrestleMania history

13 (1997): Along with Vader, wrestled WWF tag team champions Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith to a double countout
14 (1998): Along with Terry Funk, defeated WWF tag team champions Billy Gunn and Jesse James in a dumpster match. The title was later held up.
15 (1999): Defeated The Big Show by disqualification
16 (2000): Lost fatal four-way match for WWF title to champion Triple H. The Rock and The Big Show also were in the match.
20 (2004): Along with The Rock, lost a handicap match to Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista.
22 (2006): Lost to Edge in a hardcore match

Comments: A little over a month after losing a retirement match to Triple H, he returned for one night to participate in the WM 16 main event. ... Re-formed The Rock and Sock Connection with The Rock at WM 20. It was Foley’s first match in four years and the final wrestling match for The Rock. … Finally got his big WrestleMania moment against Edge (WM 22) when he was put through a flaming table in a bloody brawl.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Q&A with Mick Foley

Video: Foley at the WWE Circle of Champions

WWE photo.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

In a news release, WWE once again confirmed that Mickey Rourke will be appearing at WrestleMania, reiterating a statement that was issued by WWE chairman Vince McMahon back in January.

McMahon, however, only said that “Rourke will be in attendance at WrestleMania.” In yesterday’s release about Rourke’s appearance at the show, WWE wrote that “you never know what is going to happen at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. Will Mickey stand fast with his friends?”

I think it’s a lock that Rourke will leave his ringside seat and get in at least one punch on Jericho. And there’s your WrestleMania moment. That clip would be all over television and the Internet.

As for the people who have suggested that Steve Austin will make a surprise appearance at WrestleMania to confront Jericho, I don’t see that happening unless Austin decides to do it at the last minute. If WWE is planning on having Austin get involved in the Jericho match in some capacity, it would be incredibly stupid not to promote it ahead of time, because it would surely mean additional pay-per-view buys.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The news that the Von Erichs will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next month is not a surprise. The understated manner in which it was announced, however, was surprising.

Unlike the other announcements for the 2009 class, this one was made on wwe.com rather than on television. The obvious assumption is that, in light of Andrew “Test” Martin’s death over the weekend, WWE did not want to draw attention to the fact that four of the five Von Erich brothers who wrestled all died young. There was no graphic at the beginning of the show acknowledging Martin’s death, either.

As a fan, I'm disappointed in those decisions. From the standpoint of a company being protective of its image, I can understand it.

In regard to the Von Erichs going into the Hall of Fame, I have not read which members of the family are actually being inducted. I would assume it's Fritz, David, Kerry and Kevin.

I think as a group they deserve the honor, but as individuals, I don't know that I would put any of the brothers in. Patriarch Fritz Von Erich, however, absolutely is a Hall of Famer. There's no way that Mike and Chris should even be in the conversation. Then again, if Koko B. Ware and Johnny Rodz are in, an argument can be made for just about anyone.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

The Internet has been buzzing for nearly two months about potential opponents for Chris Jericho at WrestleMania.

Would it be The Wrestler star Mickey Rourke? Or perhaps “Stone Cold” Steve Austin would come out of retirement for one final match the night after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Maybe one of wrestling’s all-time legends – Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair – would face Jericho.

It now looks as if the answer is “none of the above.” After being ambushed last night on Raw by the three WWE legends that he had attacked over the past several weeks, Jericho challenged them – Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka – to a match at WrestleMania. He also said that he wanted Flair and Rourke to be there to witness it.

That can’t really be it, can it?

Like a lot of people, I was pretty sure that the aforementioned WWE legends would be at WrestleMania, but I figured they would be in the corner of Jericho’s opponent rather than actually being his opponents.

In the post-match after Jericho lost to Austin or Hogan or whomever at WrestleMania, I envisioned Steamboat hitting him with a chop, Piper poking him in the eyes and capturing him in a sleeperhold, Snuka hitting the big splash off the top rope and Flair putting him in the figure-four. Then Rourke would hit the ring, climb up the ropes and deliver the “Ram Jam.”

I really hope there is a plot twist coming in this story line, because Jericho versus Piper, Steamboat and Snuka is a letdown after all the buildup and anticipation. But with just two episodes of Raw left before WrestleMania, it is probably just wishful thinking.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I didn’t think there was much chance that Flair would wrestle Jericho last night, and I’m glad that he didn’t. It sounds like he won’t be wrestling at WrestleMania, either. …

It was pretty cool to see former heated rivals Piper and Snuka standing side by side. ...

WWE went to the tried and true booking device of having opponents – in this case, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker – team up. Predictably, they did not get along. Just when I thought it was a total by-the-numbers deal, however, Michaels ran backstage to elude The Undertaker, then suddenly reappeared seconds later and hit Sweet Chin Music on Undertaker on the ramp. Like Undertaker, I didn’t see that one coming. ...

I understand the idea behind Triple H destroying Cody Rhodes to further his story line with Randy Orton, but would it have been so bad to let Rhodes get in even just a little bit of offense? He was treated like Colin Delaney (remember him?). …

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler sounded ridiculous acting surprised when the steel cage was lowered from the ceiling during the Triple H-Rhodes match. How can you not notice a steel cage up in the rafters? …

The show-closing angle with John Cena, Edge, The Big Show and Vickie Guerrero was fine, but this story line does not have anywhere near the intensity of the Orton-Triple H program. …

It makes perfect sense that Edge would forgive Vickie for her indiscretion with Big Show. It has been made apparent in the story line that he only stays with Vickie because of the power she wields, so since he has no real feelings for her, he isn’t upset that she cheated on him. Forgiving her is in the best interests of the “Ultimate Opportunist.” To drive home that point, I wish Edge would have rolled his eyes or smirked or something while he was hugging Vickie. …

It was announced that JBL will be defending the Intercontinental title against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania. Since there have been reports that JBL’s retirement is imminent, and he has talked about doing something historic at WrestleMania, my guess is that he will vow to become the first wrestler to retire as IC champion.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

I’m sure you’ve all heard the axiom about most accidents occurring in the home. Well, I’m walking around gingerly today with an aching back and a bruise on my upper thigh the size of a baseball after taking a spill on the steps at my house last night.

After popping some Advils and putting an ice pack on my back last night, I sat down to watch a couple of matches from WrestleMania XXIV on WWE 24/7. The two matches I watched were Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair and the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Seeing guys battering each other with ladders – Shelton Benjamin took an especially sick bump – and Michaels crashing on the announce table after missing a moonsault put my aches and pains into perspective. I began to imagine what it would feel like to fall down the steps four times a week for years at a time in addition to traveling on airplanes all over the world and trying to work out on a regular basis.

I’ll probably be in some discomfort for a few days, but the soreness I’m experiencing is something that professional wrestlers live with every single day of their lives. In fact, in the case of a lot of wrestlers, I have little doubt that their daily pain is significantly more severe than what I am feeling.

As fans, I think we sometimes get so caught up in critiquing wrestlers’ performances that we forget just what these men and women put their bodies through. Even though wrestling can bring fame and fortune, most of them are in the business because they love it.

I love the business, too, but I realized early in life that I lacked the toughness and wasn’t willing to make the sacrifices that it took to be a wrestler. That’s why I have so much respect for anyone, whether performing in a high school gymnasium before 100 people or 70,000 people at a stadium, who puts on the tights and gets in the ring.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

TED DIBIASE

WrestleMania history

4 (1988): Defeated Jim Duggan in the first round of the WWF title tournament; defeated Don Muraco in the second round; lost to Randy Savage in the final
5 (1989): Wrestled to a double countout with Brutus Beefcake
6 (1990): Defeated Jake Roberts by countout
7 (1991): Lost to Virgil by countout
8 (1992): Along with IRS, lost to The Natural Disasters by countout. DiBiase and IRS retain the WWF tag team title.
9 (1993): Along with IRS, defeated challengers Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake by disqualification to retain WWF tag team title

Comments: Was the focal point of WM 4. The show was the payoff to one of the most famous story lines of all time. A month before WrestleMania, DiBiase paid Andre The Giant for the WWF title, which Andre had just won from Hogan with the aid of an "evil twin" referee. The transaction was ruled invalid, however, and a tournament was held at WrestleMania to crown a new champion. … WWF tag team title match at WM 9 marked the return of Hogan from a hiatus and Beefcake from severe facial injuries suffered in a parasailing accident.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

Q&A with Ted DiBiase

WWE photo.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

KANE

WrestleMania history

14 (1998): Lost to The Undertaker
15 (1999): Defeated Triple H by disqualification
16 (2000): Along with Rikishi, defeated X-Pac and Road Dogg
17 (2001): Defeated hardcore champion Raven and The Big Show in a triple threat match to win the title
18 (2002): Lost to Kurt Angle
20 (2004): Lost to The Undertaker
21 (2005): Lost Money in the Bank ladder match to Edge. Other participants were Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho and Christian.
22 (2006): Along with Big Show, defeated challengers Carlito and Chris Masters to retain the world tag team title
23 (2007): Lost to The Great Khali
24 (2008): Defeated Chavo Guerrero to win the ECW title in eight seconds

Comments: Only The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Triple H and Hulk Hogan have wrestled on more WrestleMania cards. … Physical confrontations with disgraced former baseball star Pete Rose at WMs 14 through 16 are part of WrestleMania lore. … Match against his “brother” The Undertaker at WM 20 featured the latter's return to his supernatural persona after a few years as a biker character. ... Body-slammed The Great Khali at WM 23 in Detroit in a spot that mirrored Hogan’s slam of Andre The Giant 20 years earlier. ... Victory over Guerrero at WM 24 was shortest match in WrestleMania history.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

WWE photo.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

THE BIG SHOW

WrestleMania history

15 (1999): Lost to Mankind (Mick Foley) by disqualification
16 (2000): Lost fatal four-way match for WWF title to champion Triple H. The Rock and Mick Foley also were in the match.
17 (2001): Lost to Kane in triple threat match for hardcore title. Defending champion Raven was also in the match.
19 (2003): Along with A-Train, lost a handicap match to The Undertaker
20 (2004): Lost the U.S. title to John Cena
21 (2005): Lost to Akebono in a Sumo match:
22 (2006): Along with Kane, defeated challengers Carlito and Chris Masters to retain world tag team title
24 (2008): Lost to Floyd Mayweather

Comments: Has been in the ring at WrestleMania with some of WWE’s biggest stars (although he has won just once). ... Participated in the main event of WM 16, and his surprisingly entertaining match with Mayweather last year received mainstream attention. .. Although he lost by DQ in his WrestleMania debut, his opponent (Mankind) was taken out on a stretcher. After the match, Big Show punched Vince McMahon and turned babyface. ... Clean loss against Cena at WM 20 helped solidify Cena as an emerging star. ... Match against Japanese sumo legend Akebono was first and only Sumo match at WrestleMania (perhaps for good reason).

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

WWE photo.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

Matt Hardy cut what was probably the best promo of his career last night on Smackdown. And not a moment to soon.

What figured to be a heated brother versus brother feud between Matt and Jeff Hardy had only been lukewarm, in part because WWE wasn’t pushing it properly, but mainly due to the Hardys’ shortcomings on the microphone.

Matt rose to the occasion last night, however. He effectively conveyed the feelings of bitterness and jealousy toward his brother that had bubbled beneath the surface before finally resulting in him attempting to inflict bodily harm on Jeff.

Without directly saying so, Matt strongly suggested that he was behind the mysterious attacks on Jeff. What really got heat on Matt was when he brought up Jeff losing everything when his house burned down last year, including his dog. Matt hammered home the point with the use of a visual aid – a portion of a dog collar that he had picked up among the ashes. If that doesn’t make fans hate Matt, nothing will.

Jeff was convincing in portraying that he was emotionally hurt and furious when he came out to confront Matt. I thought it was a nice touch that after a brief fight between them, a cowering Matt said that he was sorry and that he loved Jeff before walking up the ramp and smiling deviously.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

I'm surprised that there was no follow-up to the revelation on Raw Monday that Vickie Guerrero and The Big Show are having an affair. I suppose it will happen next week on either Raw or Smackdown. …

The Undertaker got his win back – as he should have – over Vladimir Kozlov. The match wasn’t bad. Could it be that Kozlov is improving? …

I was glad to see that Edge’s attack on Kofi Kingston at the No Way Out pay-per-view wasn’t just forgotten about. They had a good match, and Kingston is looking more and more like a future star. There’s no question that Edge winning was the right call, but I wouldn’t have had Kingston lose by submission. …

There was yet another very good match between John Morrison and The Miz and the team of Carlito and Primo Colon. It looks as if this feud is leading to a tag team title unification match at WrestleMania. That sounds like a great idea to me. Given the state of tag team wrestling in WWE, there’s no need to have two sets of champions, especially since the rules are so relaxed about talent appearing on more than one show. …

I’m starting to think the Bella twins have a fear of commitment. …

I was not happy to see Finlay defeat The Brian Kendrick to grab the final spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match. So now we have Finlay, Kane and Mark Henry in the match instead of guys such as Kendrick, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth and Evan Bourne (if he’s cleared to wrestle). …

After Maryse pinned Melina on Raw, I just knew it was going to be the other way around in the tag match last night. …

I wonder why R-Truth didn’t make his entrance through the crowd this time?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

“I'm actually wondering who's next? Who's next to die?”

That question was posed by Andrew “Test” Martin in his MySpace blog in November 2005 after Eddie Guerrero died at 38.

In a scene that has become far too familiar in the wrestling industry, Martin was found dead in his Tampa, Fla., home by police officers last night. He was a few days shy of his 34th birthday.

There is no indication of foul play, according to a statement released by the police.

It’s a sad ending for a guy who at one point appeared to have a bright future in the business.

Martin was originally trained by Bret Hart before being signed to a WWE developmental deal. Along with fellow Canadians Adam Copeland (Edge) and Jason Reso (Christian), Martin trained at camps run by former NWA world champion Dory Funk Jr.

Martin debuted as Test on WWE television in 1998 as a bodyguard for Motley Crue during the band’s live performance on Raw. He eventually joined The Corporation, WWE’s top heel faction at the time.

Martin was often described as a younger and more mobile Kevin Nash, and it looked as if he was going to get a big push after he entered into a story line relationship with Stephanie McMahon. But in a plot twist, Triple H and Stephanie hooked up and Martin never would advance past the mid-card.

He became a competent worker in the ring, and with his height (6 feet 6) and muscular physique, it’s surprising that he never got more of a push. It was most likely his lack of charisma that held him back.

In a decision that was heavily criticized, WWE released Martin while he was recovering from spinal fusion surgery. It was during that time that he posted the blog about Guerrero’s death. He wrote about the growing number of wrestlers who were addicted to prescription pain medication and accused WWE of having little regard for the well-being of its performers.

Despite his condemnation of WWE, Martin returned to the company in 2006 as a member of the ECW roster. He was released a little less than a year later shortly after receiving a 30-day suspension for violating WWE’s Wellness policy.

Martin last appeared on national television in 2007, when he had a short stint in TNA.

My condolences go out to Martin’s family and friends.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

During the Attitude Era in WWE, Mick Foley showed his versatility by playing three distinctive characters – Mankind, Cactus Jack and Dude Love. Last night on TNA Impact, Foley played three different roles all in one episode. He began the show as an authority figure, briefly became a color commentator and then morphed into a maniacal hardcore legend.

It made for a pretty heated angle last night when Scott Steiner used a pipe to brutalize Foley, who had been doing commentary before being distracted by Booker T. The attack was described as a “hit” ordered by Kurt Angle.

As a result of that development, Foley was named the special enforcer referee for the Sting-Angle TNA world title match Sunday at the Destination X pay-per-view. Jeff Jarrett will be the special guest referee.

It will be interesting to see where things go from here. It has been leaked on the Internet that the main event for next month’s Lockdown pay-per-view is Foley against Sting. If that's accurate, either Foley or Sting is likely turning heel Sunday. It seems as if Steve Borden has no interest in going heel, so my guess is that it will be Foley. I suppose there is also the possibility that they could wrestle each other and still both remain babyfaces.

If Foley does indeed turn, I will anxiously await his explanation, especially in light of last night’s attack. As for the proposed Sting-Foley match, it sounds good on paper, but Foley seems to be moving worse by the week.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

All of the bleeping is getting very annoying. Can anyone get through a promo without using naughty words? …

I liked the idea of a match between a wrestler chosen by Angle against one chosen by Sting. It was pushed in the story line that part of the idea was to give two undercard guys an opportunity to be in the spotlight. The new-and-improved Eric Young was a fine pick to represent Sting, but I groaned when Angle’s choice was revealed to be Rocco, the rotund member of MEM Security. Surprisingly, the match wasn’t bad. Rocco (formerly a member of TNA tag team Phi Delta Slam) has a bit of a Big Bubba Rogers quality to him, and Young looked good by beating a guy twice his size. Young, billed at 225 pounds, even got the 400-pounder up on his shoulders for a Death Valley Driver. …

Angle and Foley had a good verbal confrontation at the top of the show, but did I actually hear Angle use the term “butt buddies?” …

I got my hopes up when Don West was not present at the start of the show to do commentary alongside Mike Tenay, but then he showed up at about 20 minutes into the broadcast. It turned out that it was a good thing West was there. He rightfully pointed out how ridiculous the Off the Wagon Challenge is. …

I don’t know if it’s because I’m comparing it to the performance of Randy Orton’s TV wife this week or what, but Lauren’s acting didn’t seem as bad as usual. She’s still no Michelle Pfeiffer, but she’s not too far from Michelle McCool. …

The “relationship” between Lauren and Abyss is being pushed more on TV. Am I the only one who sees Lauren turning on Abyss and joining up with Matt Morgan? …

Is that rule prohibiting man-on-woman violence still in effect? If so, doesn’t Morgan grabbing Lauren by the throat violate it? …

In the middle of cutting an intense promo and yelling at the top of his lungs after Morgan had gone after Lauren, Abyss managed to slip in a cute line about how Morgan is going to have more holes in him after their thumbtacks match than A-Rod’s story. Is that really something that the Abyss character would say? It’s not a bad line, but it sounds more like something that would come from Morgan. …

Another hilarious segment from ODB. As silly as these bits are, her delivery is so great that I can’t help but laugh. Jeremy Borash was pretty good here, too. After ODB said that “a pack of stogies” is what it takes to go all the way with her, Borash produced a single cigarette, which was good enough on this night, as ODB jumped on top of him. Come on JB, the surgeon general has warned us about that nasty habit causing all kinds of health problems. And smoking isn’t good for you either. …

The Beautiful People and Madison Rayne are now referring to themselves as Mi Pi Sexy. Ugh. That’s about as clever as PMS (Pretty Mean Sisters), SEX (Sports Entertainment Xtreme) TIT (Terri Invitational Tournament) and, of course, Beaver Cleavage. If I’m not mistaken, Vince Russo can take credit for all of these. …

I have never seen an episode of Survivor in my life, so I had no idea who this Jenna person was. After doing a Google search, I learned that she was the big winner on Survivor six years ago. Apparently, she is going to follow in the footsteps of The Miz and become a reality star-turned-wrestler. Hopefully, she will get over as much as Miz has but be far less annoying in doing so.

NOTE: WNST 1570 AM, the Baltimore radio station that I do a wrestling segment for every Wednesday, is considering organizing a bus trip to Philadelphia for TNA Lockdown on April 19. In addition to a ticket to the event and some food and liquid refreshments on the bus, there also would be a meet-and-greet before the show with TNA talent. The station is trying to get an idea of how much interest there would be in such a trip. I’m in for sure. Anyone else?

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

RICKY STEAMBOAT

WrestleMania history

1 (1985): Defeated Matt Borne
2 (1986): Defeated Hercules Hernandez
3 (1987): Defeated Randy Savage to win the Intercontinental title
4 (1988): Lost to Greg Valentine in first round of WWF title tournament

Comments: Despite being one of the greatest workers of his era, Steamboat’s WrestleMania resume is surprisingly thin. … Inclusion on the list is solely due to his WM 3 match against Savage, which is considered by many to be the greatest match in WrestleMania history. … Matches at WM 1 and WM 2 were just filler, and he was one-and-done in the title tournament at WM 4.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

To view the list through today, click here.

WWE photo.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

I attended a screening earlier this week of Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, Race to Witch Mountain, which opens today. It might be Johnson’s best movie yet, although I really like Gridiron Gang and The Game Plan as well

Every time I watch one of Johnson's movies, it always makes me proud as a wrestling fan that one of our own has become such a mainstream success. Actually, it’s more than just his movie star status that I’m proud of; it’s also the level of respect that he has in Hollywood.

Hulk Hogan is perhaps even more of a household name than Johnson, but he was never taken seriously as an actor and his resume consists of nothing but B movies, excluding his cameo in Rocky III.

It's highly unlikely that Johnson will ever compete for roles with Sean Penn, but he’s certainly not regarded as a joke. He has overcome the stigma of getting his start in the entertainment business in pro wrestling and is considered a decent actor by many movie critics.

Race to Witch Mountain is a fun family movie with a lot of special effects, but it’s Johnson’s portrayal of a Las Vegas cab driver and reformed ex-con who suddenly finds himself trying save Earth from extinction that truly gives the movie its charm. Johnson definitely has the tough guy-with-a-heart character down pat, as he has now played that role in several films.

In this movie, he again displays the comic timing that entertained wrestling fans during his years in WWE. As The Rock, everything Johnson did was intentionally over the top, but one of his best traits as a movie actor is that he resists the temptation to chew the scenery, even in a movie as fantastical as Race to Witch Mountain. His screen presence and charisma come across naturally.

On a side note, there was a story yesterday on contactmusic.com about Johnson wanting to do a Broadway musical. He has demonstrated that he can carry a tune, and as far as his dancing ability, he said: “I’m half Samoan, you know, and part of our culture is singing and dancing daily.”

Hey, as long as he dances better than fellow Samoan Rikishi, I think he should go for it.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

JAKE ROBERTS

WrestleMania history

2 (1986): Defeated George Welles
3 (1987): Lost to The Honky Tonk Man
4 (1988): Wrestled to a draw with Rick Rude in first round of WWF title tournament
5 (1989): Defeated Andre the Giant by disqualification
6 (1990): Lost to Ted DiBiase by countout
7 (1991): Defeated Rick Martel in a Blindfold match
8 (1992): Lost to The Undertaker
12 (1996): Along with Yokozuna and Ahmed Johnson, lost to Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Vader

Comments: Never main-evented a WrestleMania but was one of the bigger stars in the WWF in his prime and consistently worked with top guys on the undercard. ... Victory over Welles at WM 2 was a squash but is memorable because Wells was foaming at the mouth after Roberts put the snake on him. ... Was accompanied to the ring by 1970s glam rocker Alice Cooper at WM 3. ... Blindfold match against Martel at WM 7 is noteworthy for being the only one its kind at WrestleMania, but it mostly consisted of both guys, who were wearing hoods over their heads, stumbling around the ring feeling around for each other. ... Turned heel prior to WM 8 after a four-year run as a popular babyface in an angle that eventually led to Undertaker's first babyface turn.

I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history every day through April 5.

Q&A with Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Video: Jake Roberts says Vince McMahon saved his life

WWE photo.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

In honor of this being the 25th WrestleMania, I will count down the top 25 stars in WrestleMania history beginning tomorrow and continuing through April 5, the date of WrestleMania 25.

The list is based on the following criteria:

-- memorable moments at WrestleMania
-- impact on business
-- position on the card
-- number of appearances

Notes: Since wrestling is entertainment and not an actual competition, wins and losses were not given much weight. … Only wrestlers were eligible for the list. Celebrities and non-wrestlers (i.e. Vince McMahon) were not considered.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (39)
Categories: Top 25 WrestleMania stars
        

Former child actor and reality star Danny Bonaduce will wrestle inside the six sides of steel at TNA’s Lockdown pay-per-view on April 19, TNA announced on its Web site earlier today.

If you’re expecting me to slam TNA on this one, you’d be wrong. Do I think TNA will get much mainstream publicity out of this? No. Do I think it will increase the buy rate? Probably not. But I actually find Bonaduce’s human train wreck schtick entertaining. I suppose it’s because I’m old enough to remember the raspy-voiced, jacked-up bad boy when he was a precocious, freckle-faced kid on The Partridge Family in the 1970s.

This will be the official pro wrestling debut for Bonaduce, who has done some celebrity boxing matches (most recently against Jose Canseco) and was a participant on Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling. TNA has not revealed who his opponent will be.

Bonaduce is 49, but he’s in great shape. If TNA puts him in the ring with the right guy, the match might not be bad. I think someone like Eric Young or Shane Sewell would be a good choice. Let’s just hope that Vince Russo doesn’t decide to put the TNA world title on him like he did with David Arquette in WCW.

It will be interesting to see whether Bonaduce will be a face or a heel. The guy is a natural heel, but he is a popular disc jockey in Philadelphia, where Lockdown is taking place, so he will probably be cheered at the pay-per-view. I could see the fans at the Impact Zone in Orlando booing him out of the building, though.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

As many of you have noted, the woman identified last night on Raw as Randy Orton’s wife, Samantha, was not his real-life wife, the former Samantha Speno. The woman playing the role of Samantha was former Playboy playmate Laura Croft, according to pwinsider.com.

I admit that I thought it was the real Samantha while watching Raw. I have seen pictures of Orton’s wife in the past and even saw her in person at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony last year. Looking back today at some pictures of Orton and his wife, it’s obvious that it was a different person last night, although there is some resemblance.

I was right about one thing, though: The woman sitting next to Orton last night was no actress. I wonder if the real Mrs. Orton is embarrassed that people might think she is actually that vapid.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The main angle on Raw last night sure looked familiar.

Two guys are involved in a highly personal and intense feud. One of them isn’t at the arena on this night. He’s at home, and there is a camera crew there so that he can be interviewed during the show via satellite. Oh, and he has his wife, who has never appeared on camera before, sitting next to him.

That was the scene in 1996. At the time, Raw was losing the head-to-head ratings war on Monday nights to WCW Nitro. In an attempt to really push the envelope and get people talking, WWE shot an angle in which Brian Pillman and his wife Melanie were being interviewed in their home, when suddenly Pillman’s rival, Steve Austin, broke into the house and tried to attack Pillman.

With Melanie screaming in the background, Pillman produced a handgun and began waving it wildly at Austin. He yelled an f-bomb or two as well. It was perhaps the most controversial angle ever in WWE.

WWE did not go to such extreme measures for last night’s angle with Randy Orton and Triple H, but the setup was very similar. As soon as I saw Orton’s wife, Samantha, sitting next to him on the couch, I – and I’m sure a lot of you – had a pretty good idea how the show was going to end.

Not everyone cares for over-the-top angles such as this, but I liked it. It was a good follow-up to Legacy’s beat-down of Triple H last Friday on Smackdown, and I thought the brawl looked pretty realistic (no Shane McMahon phantom punches here).

So much for my thought after last week’s Raw that there wouldn’t be any physical confrontations between Orton and Triple H for a few weeks.

The other big angle was the revelation that Vickie Guerrero and Big Show were indeed having an affair. John Cena exposed the truth after blackmailing Guerrero into making the Edge-Big Show world heavyweight title match at WrestleMania a triple threat.

The way the angle unfolded was entertaining and everyone played their part well, although I’m not sure a WrestleMania world title program should have such a humorous tone. Hopefully, that will change between now and April 5.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Raw got off to a strong start with the verbal confrontation between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. It helped that Undertaker cut a more realistic promo than he usually does. By the time we get to WrestleMania, this might be the most anticipated match on the card. …

The only question I had when the Kofi Kingston-Chris Jericho Money in the Bank qualifying match began was which legend would interfere and cost Jericho the match. It turned out to be Ric Flair. Even though it was a fluke victory, I’m just happy that Kingston is in the MIB ladder match. …

With Jericho challenging Flair to come out of retirement and face him next week on Raw, I would think that’s when it will become clear who Jericho’s opponent will be at WrestleMania, as well as what role Mickey Rourke will have. There’s little chance that Flair will wrestle next week. Most likely, Jericho will attack Flair the way he has the other legends. …

I enjoyed the JBL-CM Punk Intercontinental title match. Punk isn’t hurt at all by dropping the belt since the title doesn’t really mean much anyway. I’m curious as to what the plans are for JBL at WrestleMania. …

After her debut appearance on Raw, I now know two things that Samantha Orton is not: 1. chatty; 2. an actress. …

Just who were all those people in the Ortons’ house? …

Just curious: Does Samantha know about Orton’s one-night stand with Kelly Kelly, or has she forgotten about that whole story line just like the WWE creative team? For that matter, I wonder what Big Show’s wife (she made a cameo last year during the buildup to Big Show’s WrestleMania match against Floyd Mayweather) thinks about his tawdry deal with Vickie. …

By the way, Big Show’s facial expression when he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar was great. …

Nothing personal against Koko B. Ware, but he doesn’t belong in the WWE Hall of Fame. To me, his inclusion diminishes the honor for the deserving inductees – Steve Austin, The Funks, Ricky Steamboat and Bill Watts. Instead of having The Honky Tonk Man induct Ware, it should be the other way around. Not that I think HTM is a Hall of Famer either, but he’s more worthy than Ware…

I was expecting there to be a women’s title unification match between Maryse and Melina at WrestleMania, but that match took place on Raw instead. And it lasted all of two minutes. Oh well, at least Maryse won. …

The 25-woman battle royal at WrestleMania should be fun, especially with a bunch of former divas returning for it.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (67)
        

In this morning’s post about WWE’s Voices CD, I mentioned that I was disappointed that the entrance themes for Edge, The Brian Kendrick, Matt Hardy and Mickie James were not on this disc or any other WWE compilation “to the best of my knowledge.”

My thanks to all of you who smartened me up on where to find some of these songs. Of the four themes, only one actually is on a WWE CD – Hardy’s theme is on Forceable Entry. James’ entrance music isn’t on a CD but is part of WWE The Music Vol. 7, which is available exclusively on iTunes.

Edge’s entrance theme is one of the few that was not written and produced by WWE. The song, titled “Metalingus,” is performed by Alter Bridge and is on their CD, One Day Remains. I was aware of that, but my point was that it is not on any WWE CDs. My guess is that it is a copyright issue.

Kendrick’s music is nowhere to be found on CD.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, I’m going to go listen to the Ultimate Warrior’s theme, have a few cups of coffee and paint the house, mow the lawn and clean up the basement – all before dinner.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I’ve been listening to the latest WWE CD, Voices: WWE The Music Vol. 9, the past couple weeks and finally found the time to pass along my thoughts. I have the special two-disc version, which includes nine “legends” entrance themes in addition to 13 current ones.

Here are some comments about my favorite tracks:

DISC 1

“Voices” (Randy Orton): I hear “Voices” in my head. No, really. I cannot get this song out of my head. I have to admit that when Orton first began using "Voices" I didn’t think it was as good as his original music (“Burn in My Light”), but I have changed my tune. “Voices” is one of best themes currently in WWE and is worthy of belonging to the hottest wrestler in the business. The title track alone makes this CD worth picking up.

“What’s Up” (R-Truth): I’m definitely down with “What’s Up.” I was a big fan of the song when R-Truth used it in TNA, so I’m glad he is able to continue making his entrance with it in WWE. This is the only song on the CD not written by the talented Jim Johnston, as it was penned by R-Truth (Ron Killings) himself. “What’s Up” has an infectious beat and a sing-along chorus that is brilliant in its simplicity.

“Get on Your Knees” (Jack Swagger): This song is just right for the fast-rising, cocky Swagger. When I first heard it I thought for sure that it was performed by Rage Against the Machine. It’s not, but any song that sounds this much like Rage couldn’t possibly be bad.

“Pain” (Vladimir Kozlov): When Kozlov debuted in WWE (not counting the brief period when he sat in the front row and kept proclaiming his love for “Double Double E”), he didn’t have entrance music, which fit with his no-nonsense style and look. Eventually, he started coming out to this song, and I liked it right away because of its thumping beat and ominous guitar riff. I could do without the voiceover (spoken in Russian), however.

“Pourquoi?” (Maryse): This Eurotrash song is a guilty pleasure, but so is watching Maryse in the ring. The best thing about this track is imagining Maryse strutting down the aisle as I listen to it (ooh oui!). As an added bonus, the song also has some educational value, as I now know some French after looking up the English translation of the lyrics.

“Priceless” (Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes): I hated the original version of the song, which had a country flavor. This one is a significant upgrade, as it has more of a rock sound.

DISC 2

“Unstable” (The Ultimate Warrior): Was there ever any entrance music more suited for a wrestler than this one was for Warrior? As soon as I played the track it brought back memories of Warrior sprinting to the ring and vigorously bouncing off the ropes. I have been playing this song in the morning to help me wake up and get moving. And if I had 10 cups of coffee instead of my usual one, I might be able to equal the Warrior’s energy level.

“Perfection” (Mr. Perfect): As you can probably tell by now, I prefer entrance themes that you can tap your foot to or that have a good rock beat. “Perfection” doesn’t fit the bill, but I was a big Curt Henning mark back in the day, so this one has sentimental value. I was listening to it while drying my hands with a towel in the kitchen the other day and I instinctively tossed the towel behind my back and caught it. I thought better of spitting out my gum and batting it up in the air, however.

“Snake Bit” (Jake Roberts): Nothing says ’80s like this one, and I love the ’80s. The synthesizer-driven track kind of reminds me of the Miami Vice theme. It also has a bit of a haunting quality to it, which, of course, was perfect for a man who with a sadistic streak who walked around carrying a python.

“Blue Blood” (Hunter Hearst Helmsley): It’s hard to believe Triple H, who has perhaps the best music and most intense entrance today, once came out to this song, which sounds like something you would hear in the background while eating dinner at a wedding reception. I’m surprised he even allowed WWE to include it on the CD. It was fitting for the Greenwich snob character he was playing in the mid ’90s, though. This song really is not my cup of tea (and crumpets), but I am including it among my favorites because my 3-year-old daughter likes to dance to it and pretend she is a princess at a royal ball. That’s good enough for me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, it’s a pretty good and diverse collection of songs. I do wish WWE would have included the entrance music for Edge, The Brian Kendrick, Matt Hardy and Mickie James, however. To the best of my knowledge, none of these songs have ever been released on a WWE CD.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

I was surprised and disappointed to see that former Maryland Championship Wrestling star Patrick Brink has been released by WWE. Brink, who at one point trained at Team 3-D’s wrestling academy, signed a WWE developmental deal last June and was working in Florida Championship Wrestling as Kaleb O’Neal.

According to a report on pwinsider.com, one of the reasons for O’Neal’s release was because he had heat with management for getting some new tattoos a few months ago. John Laurinaitis, WWE’s executive vice president of talent relations, apparently had told the talent during a meeting that they were prohibited from getting tattoos without permission from management.

I thought Brink, an Atholton graduate who grew up in Laurel, had what it took to make it in either WWE or TNA from the first time I met him three years ago.

He has had an unbelievably difficult year, as he had to deal with the deaths of his younger sister, grandmother and several close friends during that span. Hopefully he will rebound from this professional setback and get another opportunity to make it at a national level.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I can just envision Stephanie McMahon, at home recuperating from the RKO she took from Randy Orton, screaming at the television as she watched Orton and company destroy Triple H on Smackdown last night:

“What’s wrong with you, Hunter? Your brother-in-law Shane had no problem single-handedly destroying all three members of Legacy! Now stop crawling around on the mat and drooling on yourself, already! And don’t forget to take out the garbage when you get home!”

The fact that Shane O’Mac was booked stronger than the 13-time world champion notwithstanding, I thought Legacy’s beat-down of Triple H at the end of the show got heat on Orton and built anticipation for their match at WrestleMania.

Some will probably say that the three-on-one attack went on too long, but I disagree. The longer it went, the more viewers had hope that Triple H would make a comeback, and that hope was squashed again and again. Orton taunting and toying with Triple H but holding back from delivering the knockout blow – I believe he said “not yet” near the end – showed Orton’s psychotic side.

The assault also was effective because it was unexpected. After the stipulation was made on Raw Monday that the WrestleMania match would be off if Triple H put his hands on Orton without provocation, I figured Orton would attack Triple H eventually, but only after a couple weeks of trying to goad Triple H into taking a swing at him.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

So it’s looking like it will be a triple threat between world heavyweight champion Edge, Big Show and John Cena at WrestleMania. Big Show actually said that’s what it would be during an appearance on VH-1 yesterday, according to pwinsider.com. As for that rumored Hulk Hogan-Cena match (or any Hogan match at WrestleMania), it’s not looking good, as “The Hulkster” recently underwent back surgery, according to prowrestling.net.

While I would prefer a one-on-one match between Edge and Cena at WrestleMania, I have to admit that I am intrigued by the Edge/Big Show/Vickie Guerrero story line, as well as whatever it was that Cena whispered into Guerrero’s ear last night. …

Matt Hardy cut a serviceable heel promo, but, so far, the feuding Hardy brothers story line has not been nearly as good as I expected it to be. I think some of it is that Matt and Jeff just don’t have the mic skills to pull it off (which was my initial fear with the angle), but I don’t think the creative team has done enough to get the angle over as something special either. It comes across as just another wrestling angle. …

I expected MVP to be in the Money in the Bank ladder match and I’m happy that he is, but I’m not sure Matt Hardy was the right opponent for him to defeat in a qualifying match. It doesn’t make sense to me to have Hardy doing jobs leading up to his match with Jeff at WrestleMania.
The story was that since Matt lost and wouldn’t get to face Jeff (if he won his qualifier) in the MIB match at WrestleMania, he interfered and cost Jeff his match.

I would have still had Matt cause Jeff to lose, but instead of having Matt job to MVP, why not just keep Matt out of the MIB qualifying? The fact that he was overlooked while Jeff got an opportunity could have played into his inferiority complex and jealousy. …

The Jeff Hardy-Shelton Benjamin match was good until the nonsensical finish, when Matt Hardy walked into the ring and punched Benjamin, resulting in an immediate disqualification of Jeff. I have always thought that rule was silly – even by pro wrestling standards. It would have been better if Matt had interfered behind the referee’s back, which led to Benjamin pinning Jeff. It accomplishes the same goal and also makes Benjamin look stronger in the process. …

I’m always happy whenever Maryse is on the show, but her match with Eve wasn’t good, largely because Eve just shouldn’t be in the ring at this point. Listening to Michelle McCool’s monotone commentary certainly didn’t help any. …

I finally have something positive to say about a The Dirt Sheet segment. I loved hearing old-school ring announcer Howard Finkel doing the intro. It was all downhill after that, however.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Vince Russo and the rest of the TNA creative team receive a lot of criticism from wrestling aficionados (including me), but perhaps we’re not so smart after all.

Last night’s episode of TNA Impact matched its highest rating by a doing a 1.3 for the third consecutive week and was watched by a company-record 1.9 million viewers.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that the rivalry between Kurt Angle and Sting is what is spiking the ratings. Whether the company is planning well for its future by building the show around forty-somethings remains to be seen, but there is no denying that the audience has grown significantly from where it was 8 to 10 months ago. Impact did either a 1.0 or 0.9 rating for 14 straights weeks from April 10 to July 10 last year.

While TNA has every right to feel good about the rising ratings, it is important to maintain perspective. ECW, which is WWE’s “C” show, has done five 1.4 ratings this year, including the past two weeks.

More importantly, the buy rates for TNA pay-per-views are at an all-time low, according to tnawrestlingnews.com. Growing the television audience is great, but increasing the number of people willing to pay to watch the product would be even greater.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Last week I asked whether The Front Line still existed. After watching last night’s episode of Impact, I found out that it does. Now the question is: Should it?

I vote no. Just put The Front Line out of its misery and disband it. The original idea behind the formation of the group was to elevate some of the younger talent in TNA, but Front Line members such as Jay Lethal, Eric Young and Consequences Creed were better off before this story line began. Being in The Front Line certainly didn’t do much for Petey Williams’ career either.

The Front Line was supposed to be a group of young guys trying to seize the torch from the veterans trying to keep them down, but it’s become a bunch of random babyfaces with various levels of experience joining forces.

It has been established that the only way The Main Event Mafia will be brought down is if the group self-destructs, and that the young guys in TNA pose no threat whatsoever. When the babyfaces do gain an advantage on the MEM, it’s usually due to authority figures Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley and Team 3-D, all veterans and former stars in WWE and/or WCW.

Last night’s show was a perfect example. The premise was that Jarrett suspended Kurt Angle for Angle’s attack on him and Foley last week, and he took Angle’s lost wages and used it to buy expensive suits for Lethal, Young and Creed. An irate Angle then vowed to take back what was his.

Creed and Lethal looked like a million bucks in their new duds, but then they were beaten up and humiliated by Angle, who did exactly what he said he would do. As Angle pounded on Creed and ripped up his clothes, he shouted “you’re nothing” at him. I couldn’t disagree.

Creed and Lethal wouldn’t have looked so pathetic if Angle had attacked them from behind, used a weapon or had help from other MEM members, but he took them out in one-on-one confrontations. At least Young was able to exchange punches with Angle before security broke it up.

Angle didn’t get the last laugh, though. Jarrett got the better of him in a street fight and literally threw him out of the building. The final scene was of Jarrett, Foley and Team 3-D standing tall in the ring.

It’s clear that this is a feud between two factions of established stars (including Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles, who were main-eventing pay-per-views prior to this story line). That’s fine. But it’s a shame that the guys who were supposed to benefit from the program are getting buried instead.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

TNA must really have contempt for its audience. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for viewers having to sit through more than an hour of Mike Tenay and Don West bickering. The bright side is that West walked off for the second straight week, leaving the very capable Tenay to handle the commentary by himself. I also have to give credit to Tenay for his awesome facial expressions. …

After years of favoring the babyfaces, West suddenly is backing the heels. Why? I thought his beef was just with Tenay. Maybe West will end up giving up his announcing gig to become an authority figure (you can never have too many) like Mike Adamle did in WWE. Nah, Vince Russo would never rehash an angle from another company. …

After Jarrett announced that Angle had been suspended and barred from the building, Angle just walked into the building and spent the rest of the night beating up people. Makes about as much sense as outside interference in an empty arena match. …

Beer Money’s Off the Wagon Challenge doesn’t make much sense either. The idea that wrestlers would risk their careers for one chance to become tag team champions is a bit of a stretch. Wouldn’t it be wiser to just stay employed and try to earn a title shot? It’s especially absurd that LAX took the challenge last night. For starters, Hernandez and Homicide both have shots at singles titles that they can cash in at any time, and beyond that, they are one of the best teams in TNA, so they’ll get a shot at the tag titles at some point anyway. …

It takes a lot of trust – along with a lot of guts – on Homicide’s part to allow Hernandez to give him the Border toss over the top rope onto two opponents on the floor. …

I still can’t believe Samoa Joe is putting a machete to Scott Steiner’s throat. There’s only one way to settle a feud this intense – a machete-on-a-pole match. By the way, why did the cops arrest Styles for stealing Booker T.’s title belt but not Samoa Joe for threatening to slit Steiner’s throat? …

I’m not sure I understand why Foley owes Sting a debt of gratitude because Foley dropped an elbow on him 17 years ago. …

Kevin Nash did a nice job on the mic. He’s very good in his role as the guy trying to rationalize things when Sting has an issue with Angle or the MEM. …

Matt Morgan looked good in the ring and he also cut a decent promo. …

I got a chuckle out of Lethal, decked out in his suit, doing an impression of Ric Flair and cutting a wild-eyed, hyper promo before morphing back into his Randy Savage impersonator gimmick. …

Lauren’s acting during the Angle-Young scuffle was more brutal than the scuffle.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

It’s official: Ric Flair is the biggest thing to come out of North Carolina. NASCAR and college basketball aren’t even close.

At least that’s the opinion of hockey fans at Tuesday night’s Washington Capitals-Carolina Hurricanes game in D.C.

During my weekly wrestling segment yesterday afternoon on WNST 1570 AM, sports talk show host Nestor Aparicio, who attended that hockey game, related the following story about Flair.

Since Carolina was in town, this poll question was posed on the video screen: What is North Carolina most known for? The choices were NASCAR, college basketball or Ric Flair. Voting was done by text messaging.

Aparicio said that as soon as Flair appeared on the screen, 10,000 people in the arena yelled, “Wooo!” Flair won the contest with 82 percent of the vote.

Take that Dale Earnhardt Jr., Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski.

***
Thoughts on Tuesday’s episode of ECW: The six-man tag match that saw Jack Swagger, John Morrison and The Miz defeat Christian, Finlay and Tommy Dreamer was a solid TV main event. I really like the rivalry that is developing between Swagger and Christian. I’ll say it again: I hope these two get a spot on the WrestleMania 25 card. With Swagger obviously on the fast track, I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t be there, and Christian would be his logical opponent. …

As much as I liked that six-man, I have to admit that the highlight of the show for me was the Alicia Fox-Natalya match. Fox, who supposedly was terrible in the ring when she was in the Florida developmental territory, has now had two matches on WWE television and I think they both have been decent, especially this one against Natalya. …

I was a little surprised on Tuesday night that Kane beat the Boogeyman so quickly and decisively. I’m not a fan of the character, so I was actually happy to see Boogey get squashed, but I didn’t expect it since WWE seemed to value him as a novelty act. Well, apparently not, as WWE announced yesterday that Boogeyman was released. …

There’s no question that Morrison and Miz are getting the job done in the ring, but the next Dirt Sheet segment that is actually funny will be the first.

***
Hulk Hogan is featured on WWE 24/7 this month, and I caught a classic clip from 1981 of Hogan interrupting an interview between Vince McMahon and Tony Atlas. Hogan was starting to make a name for himself as a heel at that time, while Atlas was one of the top babyfaces in the business. Atlas and Hogan probably had the two best physiques in wrestling, so it was a natural rivalry.

A few things that struck me about the Hogan-Atlas confrontation:

– Hogan cut a race-baiting promo on Atlas, which, unfortunately, was common in that era. He did the standard “shine my shoes” remark and kept referring to Atlas as “boy.” What I found interesting after watching the clip again on YouTube is that Hogan calling Atlas a “brown clown” was edited out of the WWE 24/7 version. Was that really any more offensive than the other slurs?

– Atlas cut the kind of humble babyface promo that was the norm back in those days, but it would get him booed out of the building in 2009.

– McMahon seemed to have a real man-crush on Atlas. “Look at that chest!” McMahon said breathlessly after he coaxed Atlas into posing. In retrospect, McMahon’s infatuation with Atlas’ physique was a foreshadowing of his penchant for wrestlers with sculpted bodies.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

I have to give WWE credit for making the road to WrestleMania one that is full of twists and turns.

Before watching Raw last night, I felt confident that world heavyweight champion Edge would face John Cena at WrestleMania 25. Instead, WWE gave us that match for free on Raw. After Cena won by disqualification and Edge retained the title, Raw/Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero announced that The Big Show was the new No. 1 contender. The show went off the air with the announcers pondering where this leaves Cena for WrestleMania.

Good question.

One possibility is that the world heavyweight title match will end up being a triple threat between Edge, Big Show and Cena rather than a one-on-one match between Edge and Big Show. On the other hand, perhaps there really is something to those rumors of a Cena-Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania.

Personally, I would rather see Edge-Cena than either of these scenarios. An Edge-Big Show match doesn’t do much for me, but if the story line is good enough, my opinion could change. Obviously, there is more than meets the eye with Vickie and Big Show. Perhaps Vickie has only been pretending to have forgiven Edge for his past misdeeds and she is using Big Show to gain her revenge.

As I have said before, I really don’t care to see Hogan on the card, but Cena-Hogan probably would increase the buy rate. It certainly will be interesting to see what happens next.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

The reason I wanted to see Edge-Cena at WrestleMania is because these two have such good chemistry in the ring, as evidenced by their match last night. I think they’re incapable of having a bad match together. …

The verbal confrontation between Triple H and Randy Orton succeeded in making me want to see them fight. Orton’s stipulation that their match at WrestleMania is off if Triple H touches him before then should make the next four weeks entertaining. You know Orton is going to be doing whatever he can to get Triple H to take a swing at him. …

We can all breathe easy now, as Vladimir Kozlov will not be facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania. As most expected, it will be Shawn Michaels facing “The Dead Man” in a WrestleMania dream match. Since Kozlov holds a victory over The Undertaker, I expect there to be a Kozlov-Undertaker program after WrestleMania. ...

The match between Michaels and Kozlov wasn’t bad. It seems as if Kozlov is in the ring with the right opponent, his work is serviceable. …

Before Kozlov lost to Michaels, Michael Cole said that Kozlov had never been pinned. He needed to add “in singles competition.” He was pinned in the Smackdown elimination chamber match three weeks ago. …

It was another entertaining confrontation between Chris Jericho and a WWE Hall of Famer. It was a nice touch to recreate the Piper’s Pit set since Jimmy Snuka was Jericho’s foil this time. Unlike previous weeks when Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and Rick Steamboat held their own with Jericho on the microphone, Jericho had to carry this one since WWE wisely had Snuka say next to nothing. Jericho is getting a ton of heat in these segments. …

There has been speculation that the angle with Jericho will lead to a Jericho versus Jerry Lawler match at WrestleMania. I’m not too excited about that one. I’m still holding out hope that Steve Austin will be Jericho’s opponent. …

The triple threat match for a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match was good, although I was surprised Kane won and not Rey Mysterio. …

Last week, Cole incorrectly said that every Money in the Bank winner went on to win the title. Last night, he was more specific in saying that everyone who cashed in the briefcase won the title. 2007 MIB winner Mr. Kennedy lost his title shot to Edge, who cashed in and won the belt. …

WrestleMania XII was featured in the WrestleMania retrospective. It was mentioned that it was the WrestleMania debut for Triple H (then known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley). What wasn’t mentioned is that he faced The Ultimate Warrior, who no-sold The Pedigree and destroyed Hunter in less than two minutes. …

It looks like there might be a women’s title unification match at WrestleMania between Maryse and Melina. That was a wicked-looking DDT that Maryse hit on Melina on the floor. …
It was good to see Mickie James back in the ring and even better to see her teaming with Kelly Kelly. ...

Kelly Kelly is fortunate that she wasn’t seriously injured when she hit her head on the middle turnbuckle after Beth Phoenix dropped her into the corner. It’s not the first time that Phoenix has been reckless with her opponent.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)