Daily News Update – February 22, 2020

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Welcome to Sunday as my week of vacation gets closer to finishing.

Don’t forget to like and retweet my contest for a free PPV showing of AEW Revolution on FITE.TV if you haven’t already, because I’ll be drawing the winner later this afternoon and sending out the code.

DATELINE:  Smackdown ratings were slightly up but still basically the same as they’ve been forever.  So Goldberg is not a ratings draw in this particular scenario, it seems.

DATELINE:  Kairi Sane announced her marriage on WWE.com, which I’m sure will upset some of you.

DATELINE:  The Revival are trying to trademark various names in advance of their contracts ending in a couple of months.  Changing their name to The Top Guys isn’t the worst idea in the world, actually.

The SmarK Rant for Jerry Lawler’s Classic Memphis Wrestling – 07.27.19

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The SmarK Rant for Jerry Lawler’s Classic Memphis Wrestling – 07.27.19

So this is it, the last episode of Jerry Lawler’s Classic Memphis available on YouTube.  And this one is focused on the Rock N Roll Express.  Jerry points out that he’s the one who put them together in the first place.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for Jerry Lawler’s Classic Memphis Wrestling – 07.27.19

Has WWE neutered any interest in CM Punk?

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Seems like Punk going to AEW or returning to WWE in the ring would have been a huge deal. Instead, he's kind of back (paid by FOX) as an occasional commentator on a show nobody watches. It caused a stir initially, but now, nothing. Did Vince win this chess match by killing any interest in Punk?

Punk leaving wrestling for years and then getting knocked out like a tomato can in UFC did a pretty good job of killing interest on his own.  

Say it isn’t so

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Scott are you buying the rumor that Cena is coming back to face Elias of all people at WrestleMania? Talk about underwhelming if true. Cena vs Bryan would make more sense. Bryan has nothing else lined up.

Fear not, Dave said on Observer Radio that the WM card is drastically changing on the Smackdown side and it might even be Cena getting the title shot now!  So don't worry, you'll get your precious John Cena in the main event again.  

FuryMania

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So after his dominating performance over Deonte Wilder and with his popularity at an all time high, I would say there's a better than average chance Vince will pay Tyson Fury a boatload of money to compete at WrestleMania. Cena vs Fury? Taker vs Fury? Goldberg vs Fury? Your thoughts

Speaking as someone who is not in the boxing bubble at all, my only exposure to Fury is through the wrestling stuff and I didn't even know who he was before that.  And he was terrible there, so I hope to god he's not matched up with anyone at Wrestlemania.  

January 4 1999

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Sorry, this is kinda long. 
First, the 'fingerpoke' does not exist in the English language.

 Next up, why did the
internet(and not the millions of non-IWC fans, as the actual numbers show) hate
the events of January 4 1999 so much? Was it really that bad? After all,
ratings stayed high for another 2 months, and actually only started falling
months later.  It's because it exposed
the Biggest Lie of the IWC. Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, Bryan Alvarez(not sure
if Scherer or Johnson were doing their schtick then) all claim to be 'experts'.
But, far more than that, they all claim to be "In the Wrestling
Business". Yes, just like Vince McMahon or Ric Flair are in the wrestling
business. During the Monday Night Wars, the Observer, Torch etc. were
constantly posting "inside scoops" to their websites, and in their
newsletters. "Inside" information that you weren't supposed to know.
All from their sources in the WWF and WCW. Dave, Bryan etc. were 'in the know',
supposedly, NOTHING happened in wrestling that these 'experts in the wrestling
business' didn't know within an hour of it happening. And, they also knew what
was GOING TO HAPPEN..so the Observer could sya something like 'Waltman will
return to RAW tonight' etc.  Then,
January 4 1999 happened. And a LOT happened. the advertised World Title Match
never happening, Nash-Hogan being put in its place, that never actually taking
place, Hogan winning the belt, Nash turning heel again, Luger turning heel
again, the reformation of the nWo with Hogan, Nash, Steiner, Hall, Luger, and
Goldberg going from #1 contender to having to pretty much run the gauntlet to
get to Hogan. 

The World Title picture changed completely, with multiple
major things all happening in one night. 
And, Dave, Bryan and co. knew NONE OF IT. They "called" NONE
OF IT in their newsletters, or on their websites.  Because they had NO KNOWLEDGE AT ALL OF ANY
OF IT. Why? Because they were NOT "insiders". They were NOT "in
the wrestling business". They were FANS, who were OUTSIDE the wrestling
business, writing about the wrestling business from outside, not within. Whatever
"Scoops" they got were only what those people actually inside the
wrestling business were willing to give to them, nothing more.  It also implied as well, that the stuff they
HAD been fed wasn't necessarily true. And that Dave and co. could easily have
been worked by those people feeding them information.  So, a MAJOR set of events all taking place on
one show, and the "ultimate insiders" knew NOTHING about ANY of it.
Because, they weren't "in the wrestling business", they were just
fans, like anyone else with a website about wrestling. Nothing illustrated that
fact more than their complete and utter lack of knowledge of what was going to
happen that night.  And THAT'S why they
hate it so much. And, of course, the nest tier down(RD Reynolds, Ryan Satin
etc.) had to suck up to the Meltzers and Kellers by declaring that THEY hated
it too. And then, of course, those IWC people who are blindly led around by
Meltzer etc. suddenly realized that THEY had actually hated it too. And as many
of these people  have no lives, and
monitor websites with words like 'wiki' in it, this FALSE NARRATIVE about
January 4 1999 has now somehow become a 'fact'.

 Meltzer got worked.
Because he was just a fanboy, who made money writing his opinions about
wrestling.  (And, of course, today
Meltzer does have a job with a wrestling promotion. And he still makes a very
good living off the Observer, so good for him) 


OK then.  Glad we're on such a great run of rational discourse this morning.  

Your AEW takes and rants

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Sorry Scott, but besides enjoying your rants, gags and blog in general, I can't take your opinions on AEW seriously.

There are tons of double standards you gleefully put up to excuse their weak points. Rating this week's tag team battle royal ****1/2 is laughable at best, that stuff was nowhere near that good, for a bazillion reasons (from Orange one-note-joke Cassidy vs Bunny to a million dumb unnecessary flips IN A BATTLE ROYAL to Dark Order's interference leading to SCU being eliminated. Yikes). If Russo wrote/booked this stuff in another company, you'd shit all over it.

This doesn't mean AEW is crap (usually everything involving Jericho, Moxley, Cody, MJF is excellent) at all, I enjoy it this year more than before, but declaring any show they ever put on even being near any Takeover in terms of quality, as you stated in an email response a week ago, is total BS. ALL the stuff you wrote in the past 25 or so years speaks against it.

I don't get your reasoning (agreeing with Meltzer? Getting paid off by TK? Cuddling up to the AEW nerdculture zombies?), but I'm gonna avoid anything AEW you post from now on and enjoy it (or not) by myself.

Good day!


OK bye.

Smackdown – September 23, 2005

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Smackdown
Date: September 23, 2005
Location: United Spirit Arena, Lubbock, Texas
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

No Mercy is coming up pretty soon and that means the card needs to start being set up. We already have the World Title match set and you can probably guess a few more from here. That makes for some interesting moments, though the Palmer Cannon story is already wearing thin. Hopefully everything else can balance it out. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – September 23, 2005

WWF Wrestling Challenge – November 6th, 1994

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This recap also includes the Yokozuna vs. Mabel match from the 11/6/94 “Action Zone” since I was unable to find a copy of the complete show.

November 6, 1994

From the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Ted DiBiase

This week in action are Mabel & Adam Bomb, Jeff Jarrett, 1-2-3 Kid, Jerry Lawler, and the Heavenly Bodies. Plus, an interview with Bret Hart.

Read moreWWF Wrestling Challenge – November 6th, 1994

Mike Reviews Every WrestleMania Main Event – I to V

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Hello You!

I decided that, seeing as WrestleMania is on the horizon, I’d go and review every main event that has happened over the events 36 year history. I’m defining “main event” as the match that goes on last, so that will almost surely mean that I miss off some classic bouts, but don’t blame me, I didn’t book these shows!

I’ll be releasing one of these every week in the build up to Mania, with each one containing five matches. Hopefully they are fun and give you something to look forward to. If not, it shouldn’t be too difficult to ignore them at least what with all the other stuff going on here on the Blog of Doom during Mania Season.

This week we’ll be starting out with the Main Events from the first five WrestleMania’s.

Anyway, that’s enough chatter from me, let’s watch some chuffing wrestling!

Read moreMike Reviews Every WrestleMania Main Event – I to V

Cancelling The Clash Of Champions

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Was the reason WCW/TBS cancelled Clash Of The Champions had to do with Thunder starting up shortly thereafter, or was it something else entirely?  I mean having a glut of programming never stopped them before then, so I don't know why it all of a sudden would at that stage.  

They had been trying to cancel the Clash shows for years because of dwindling ratings and starting Thunder just gave them a perfect excuse.  Producing TV costs money and if you can save a bit of it, why not?  

More Fingerpoke of Doom

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Reading the FOD questions got me wondering. What do you suppose was the Kayfabe reason that Nash agreed to the Fingerpoke given that he was now the number one guy in the company.?


Easy.  Nash's motivation has always been money in both kayfabe and real life, and Hogan obviously offered him a lot of it to step aside.  That one is an easy storyline to reconcile.  

SEGA Saturn

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I'm loving you answering these Video Game questions, so I'll send over another (You're bang on about VPW2 as well, great game!)

How big was the SEGA Saturn in Canada? Did you ever get to play on or own one? If you did, did you like it? If you didn't, what put you off?


I never did own one, and it wasn't big in Canada at all.  I was working in video game sales at the point it came out, and it was barely a blip on the radar because most people felt like it was just another version of the Sega 32X.  I've played around with it a bit in more recent years via emulation and it's never impressed me that much.

Now, on the other hand, Dreamcast is my JAM.  I was all over that one in 2000 and had the Sonic games, Soul Caliber, the 2K sports games, CRAZY TAXI, etc.  I'd be all over a nostalgia system for that one if they ever come up with one.  

Daily News Update – February 21, 2020

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Hey, I won a 55″ Roku TV at my super-late work Christmas party last night!  That’s a pretty cool start to the weekend and end of my vacation.

Also, I’m gonna play around with scheduling stuff to post a little later again, around 7:00am CST instead of the 5:00 or so that I’ve been doing it.  I’ve had people comment that the daily threads and rants are a bit too early for them as I’ve been doing them, so we’ll see how a change does.

DATELINE:  All kinds of shows this weekend, with a UFC and Bellator and a couple of minor wrestling shows as well, such as the retirement show for Manabu Nakanishi.  Man, and he finally got his name in the 95 Observer Flashbacks, too.

DATELINE:  WWE stock rebounded a bit with news that they’re trying to make a deal for the big PPVs with ESPN.  Speaking from a personal standpoint, that would SUCK.  I do not want to go back to paying $60 for their shitty PPVs and I know I’m not alone.

Today we celebrate the glorious career of the Hall of Fame Bella Twins via a WWE Top 10 list.

The SmarK Rant for WWF Monday Night RAW – 07.17.95

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The SmarK Rant for Monday Night RAW – 07.17.95

Nothing terribly interesting in the Observer for this week, aside from Meltzer’s incredulous note that he never would have believed that a UFC PPV could actually beat a WWF one, but that actually happened with King of the Ring.  Now of course it’s a disaster if UFC doesn’t double or triple the WWE shows.  King of the Ring, by the way, did 130,000 buys, which at the time was a “Wall Street stockbrokers jumping off the Empire State building” type of buyrate, but now would be a decent B-show number.  How times have changed.  He does get one zinger in with “Killer Kowalski is disavowing any knowledge of having ever trained the Renegade.”  Ha!

(We’re getting closer to the point when I go from skimming the Observers for tidbits to actually recapping the Observers themselves!)  

Taped from Danville, PA, the place my soul will go to die.  Thank GOD next week starts a new taping cycle.  (Wait, isn’t Danville the home of Phineas & Ferb?  So that’s pretty awesome at least.)  

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWF Monday Night RAW – 07.17.95

Smackdown – February 21, 2020

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Smackdown
Date: February 21, 2020
Location: Gila River Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

As tends to be the case far too often these days, WWE is building to several things at once. This time around it’s the go home Smackdown for Super ShowDown, Elimination Chamber is in about two weeks and we’ve got Wrestlemania (and its sign) looming over everything. The big story tonight is Goldberg being in the arena for a change as he’s ready to face the Fiend next week. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – February 21, 2020