Daily News Update – August 12, 2020

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Man this week is taking a long time.

Next Takeover Planned For October

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/next-nxt-takeover-scheduled-later-year/

Chris Jericho Continues To Prove That He Is A Saint

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/chris-jericho-continues-prove-saint/

Ring Of Honor Taping TV Again This Month

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ring-honor-announces-new-television-taping/

 

 

Mike Reviews: ECW Hardcore TV #381 (12/08/2000)

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Hello You!

More ECW Hardcore TV, as we are just a couple of weeks away from a big pair of shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Last week was a decent show, with a strong Main Event between Rob Van Dam and Kid Kash. RVD tops the bill again this week with Balls Mahoney. Will he deliver again?

Let’s watch some chuffing wrestling and find out!

Read moreMike Reviews: ECW Hardcore TV #381 (12/08/2000)

Perfect-Michaels Summerslam 93

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Everyone always talks about how the WWF screwed up the Luger-Yoko finish, but what about Perfect vs Shawn on the same show?  Why do two count out finishes in title matches on the same show?  Also how did they not have a good match considering who was involved?

Perfect was still kind of nursing injuries and Shawn was pudgy and seemed unmotivated at that point, so they weren't gonna get a classic out of it and it was actually really scummy of the WWF advertising to pretty much promise that it would be.  

Kane as world champ

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Greets and well wishes in your utopian paradise to our north, Scott!

I’ve been rewatching some early 21st century WWE, and I’ve reached Mania XX and the aftermath. Now obviously, knowing what ended up happening, it can be easy to second guess Benoit’s victory – but I actually wanted asked about the title defense against Kane at Badd Blood.

Kane at that point had been unmasked for about a year, and I will always say that they had a real chance with him to put him into that upper tier of psychotic monster heels right after he took the mask off. Him torturing the McMahons and the whole company seeming legit afraid he was going to murder them was great, but then they actually had Shane being competitive with him and just ruined it. However, by post-Mania XX they’ve arguably rehabilitated him as being evil incarnate with the only exception being a fear of Taker. So then they make him Benoit’s first major challenger after the pair of HHH/Michael’s triple threats.

So Benoit survives that defense but then goes on to job out to Orton at Summerslam in that disastrous babyface experiment. Kane meanwhile goes on to have a “you killed the baby I raped into Lita but then we bonded over” feud with Snitsky, which he arguably loses.

Is there any part of this they got right? Would the right call have been to put the title on Kane here as the unstoppable monster until the right babyface could slay him? Or was it all pointless since HHH was getting the title back inevitably?

The right call is never to put the title on Kane. 

Andre and Hogan at Shea

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Hey Scott,

 

I know this is a bit before your time, but was wondering what you might have heard about the finish of the Andre/Hogan match at Shea in ’80. It looks as though Hogan kicks out of the pin at 2 ½ , maybe even closer to 2. Was this a miscommunication
or Hogan going into business for himself? If memory serves, this was around the time he was leaving to film Rocky III against Vince Sr.’s wishes, so it wouldn’t surprise me. Curious to what you may know.

 

I find it hard to believe that anyone would be dumb enough to go into business for themselves on Andre at that point, but they were also very protective of Hulk, so it could just be that he was told to kick out as soon as possible to build in some controversy for a rematch?  Just taking a guess, I've never heard anything otherwise.

Halloween havoc 96

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What is the deal with Hogan vs savage at havoc 96 being scheduled like a year out? I saw the nitro from January of 96 where savage wins the belt from flair and they're already talking about Hogan vs savage for havoc. 

Of course I'm sure they had no idea what that match would look like when they got to October. 

The deal was that it was a sold show to the MGM Grand in Vegas, and they had to promise them a Hogan v. Savage main event in order to get the money for it.  Which would be fine, but of course by the time they got there the landscape was totally different and Savage wasn't a serious challenger to the title any longer.  

Wednesday Is Comics Day! She-Ra: Legend of the Fire Princess!

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The She-Ra and the Princesses of Power show on Netflix has not long concluded, but an original graphic novel has been released recently telling an untold tale from the show. I’m a fan of the original She-Ra show and liked this new one, but found it a bit more of a task to keep going with it. My favourite episodes were ones where new characters were introduced. This bodes well for this book, which presumably includes a character not seen in the show. Let’s see!

Read moreWednesday Is Comics Day! She-Ra: Legend of the Fire Princess!

WWF Wrestling Challenge – April 30th, 1995

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April 30, 1995

From the Mark of the Quad in Moline, IL

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross. Gorilla tells us that “hours ago” he received a special document from The Corporation that said Ted DiBiase no longer has the time to do commentary.

The show starts off with a video package from RAW where Bam Bam Bigelow was fired from The Corporation after losing a title match to Diesel.

In action this week are Razor Ramon, Tatanka, Smoking Gunns, and the debut of Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Read moreWWF Wrestling Challenge – April 30th, 1995

Tuesday Night Streaming Thread – August 11, 2020

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Tonight!  AEW Dark is presented on the YouTubes, to be reviewed by Andy PG as usual.

Also, Impact shows up on Twitch or wherever they’re airing now.  Tommy will have a look at it afterwards.

RAW’s rating was pretty much the exact same as last week, so RAW Underground isn’t really setting viewership on fire or anything.

Have a suitably interesting evening.

Borrowing/adopting finishers

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We seem to be seeing more and more of guys using their opponent's finisher against them in matches. While it can definitely be cool, I've always been a bigger fan of the rare instance when a wrestler incorporates an ally/former tag partner's finish into his own move set. 

For example, Rey permanently adopting Eddie's frog splash as a tribute to his friend, just as Eddie did when Art Barr passed. While not a permanent thing, I have to admit that I enjoyed  Christian periodically breaking the spear out, and the very rare occasion when Edge would use Christian's Unprettier as well. I also loved to think that Edge was using the implant DDT for a while as a move that he took from his former mentor Gangrel. When Chyna broke away from HHH and started doing her own thing against Jericho, I actually thought it was kind of a neat reminder of their alliance that she was using HHH's Pedigree for a while. Any personal favorites of yours? 

Maybe too obvious, but I always enjoy the legacy guys doing moves from their family, like Cody using a figure four and bionic elbow regularly.  Or Ted Jr using the Million Dollar Dream but adding a leg sweep.  There’s too much burial of the legends and it’s nice to see tribute paid sometimes.  

Batman (1989 movie)

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Scott,


What’s your opinion of the 1989 Batman movie? 

First movie I ever bought on VHS like many people. The Nolan movies ultimately surpassed it but the movie is still insanely quotable and the soundtrack is a lost classic from Prince in some ways.  

Bull Buchanan – 2000

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Hi Scott,


Hope you're well!

 Bull Buchanan is a head-scratcher. They seemed quite up on him for a while, being the Regime's hired gun for a time, then he got thrown in to the Right To Censor thing. I'm not saying the guy was world champion material, but he seemed like a guy that could
have gone toe-to-toe with Taker or Kane for a while. Maybe something might have come of it. Were there big plans for him at any point?


Cheers,


I wouldn’t say BIG plans but you’d hear through the 90s that they wanted to push him and then it would never amount to anything.  I think the deal with Bossman was their best shot but Albert ended up doing a better job in that spot.  

Daily News Update – August 11, 2020

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Good morning!

I watched the latest DEADLY DRAW show on YouTube last night, and I’d say it was a better show that the first one, although I keep waiting for Leva Bates to stop pretending to be terrible and just be good in the ring, and it never happens.  So it’s becoming more apparent that she’s just not very good, I guess.  You know who WAS shockingly good for only her second match ever?  Dasha.  WWE completely dropped the ball on her in every way.

 

Two New Title Matches Set For Summerslam

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/major-title-match-confirmed-summerslam/

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-title-match-confirmed-summerslam/

FOX Airing Summerslam Special

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/fox-airing-summerslam-special/

NWA Returning With Weekly Pay Per Views

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/nwa-returning-weekly-pay-per-view/

 

Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12.04.95

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Wrestling Observer Flashback – 12.04.95

Doo, doo, doo…another one bites the dust.  And another one’s gone, and another one’s gone, another one bites the dust.  HEY!  Gonna get you too, another one bites the dust…

RIP this week to another wrestling promotion.

Oh and say goodbye to Dave Meltzer’s career after Hulk Hogan RIPS HIM A NEW ONE, BROTHER.

Read moreWrestling Observer Flashback – 12.04.95

Monday Night Raw – August 10, 2020

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 10, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

For the first time in a very long while, some interesting stuff actually took place last week. That would include both Raw Underground and the debut of Retribution, but the problem with any WWE story is that at some point it has to go somewhere, and that’s where they get lost. I’m not sure what to expect here and that scares me. Let’s get to it.

Read moreMonday Night Raw – August 10, 2020