2016 Pro Wrestling Thread

My personal top 10:

1. Flair: It's easy to dismiss him now because of all his life problems. But for about 15 years (mid-70s to early 90s), he was the measuring stick of the industry. He practically carried the NWA/WCW through the late 80s, until Sting developed.

2. Hogan: Ask any fan to name a wrestler, and chances are very good he's the guy they name.

3. Sammartino: Yes, he wasn't the greatest technician in the world, and yes, he wasn't really that big a star outside the northeast. But the guy held the top belt in the major northeast cities twice for more than 10 years. That says a heckuva lot.

4. Austin: Frankly, if it wasn't for him, I honestly think WCW wins the Monday Night Wars. For a while, there was really very little reason to watch WWF. The Mankind/Undertaker feud was nice, but you also had the Hart Foundation/DX stuff in which you hoped both teams would die. Austin made watching the show worthwhile.

5. Undertaker: Simply the best gimmick in wrestling history. Incredible longevity and popularity. Even now, in his rare matches, I think about how I was in high school when he started.

6. Andre: He was an icon, not just in the wrestling business, during the 70s. He was a major draw around the country, and one of the building blocks of the WWF. Although, in today's world, Hogan/Andre at WM3 wouldn't have been as big a deal because you'd have everyone pointing out Youtube clips of their early 80s battles. But still, he's the guy that every big man is measured against.

7. Cena: The Hogan and Sammartino of today

8: Dusty: An icon in the South for 20 years and very popular up north as well.

9. The Rock: Best promo guy in history. Fine worker. Loses some points by cutting his career short, but who can blame him?

10. Gorgeous George: The first wrestler with a gimmick, and one of the first actual stars, not just in wrestling, but on TV when that invention became mainstream. One of the first stars who, when people stood outside store windows, or in bars watching this miraculous box, that they saw.

11: Race: Second toughest guy in the biz (hi Tonga)
12: HBK: Incredible in-ring performer, terrible attitude at first. Great in the tag ranks as well
13: Savage
14: Sting
15: Piper

 

Observer from Aug. 1:

- Lesnar hasn’t been subjected to any drug testing since he returned to WWE. It was one of the silent changes they made to the program, along with allowing performers to “erase” a strike if they behaved well and did treatment programs. Your status in the company dictates how much they’re willing to go to bat for you, as Billy Gunn was fired from his trainer role in NXT once he was given a four-year suspension from competitive lifting.

While WWE has double standards, they’re also the only pro wrestling company doing regular testing. TNA said they test, but don’t suspend anyone. Mexican and Japanese companies don’t test.

- TNA switched Bound for Glory from Sept. 11 to Oct. 2, because of the new WWE PPVs being planned. As a result, they need to stretch their tapings from Aug. 11 to Aug. 17 even further. On the last tapings they did, Dixie Carter was only at the first day, because she had an African safari to go on.

- Readers gave Battleground 88.5 percent thumbs up (154 votes), 0.057 percent thumbs down (1), 10.9 percent thumbs middle (19). Zayn vs. Owens was best match, Miz vs. Young worst.

- Edge (Adam Copeland) will have a recurring guest role on Vikings.

- Jeff Hardy’s TNA contract expires in February, and he’s openly said he wants to retire with WWE. However, it’s unknown if he’ll make it to that point in one piece. At the most recent PPV, he got whiplash from a move, and he hasn’t really toned back his style at all, despite his age. He’s unlikely to go back to WWE on a full-time schedule, since he works part-time for TNA as is.

- Kyle Snyder, 20, has so far resisted overtures from MMA and WWE scouts. He’s projected to win the silver medal in wrestling at 212. Max Wessel of Leigh University, who finished 8th in the heavyweight division of the 2016 NCAA tournament, has signed with WWE. Nick Gwiazdowski, who got beat by Snyder this year after winning titles in 2014 and 2015, does want to sign with WWE, but only after the 2020 Olympics. He’s a big wrestling fan.

- Tommy End, a WWE signee, finishes up his indy dates on Aug. 13.

- Joe Rogan signed a one-year contract extension with UFC, although he’s doing less shows.

- The Ferittas, former UFC owners, are trying to buy land in Vegas. They want to buy existing hotel properties, and also enough land to build a stadium to attract an NFL team.

- The CM Punk reality TV show should start broadcasting soon, since his fight is scheduled for Sept. 10. A crew has been following him for months.

- Coachman got blasted on Twitter over the past week because he claimed that old WWE wrestlers were crazy to sue McMahon because he was such a loyal guy.

- The Network will have 30-minute preview shows for Raw and Smackdown each week, with panels of Lawler, Booker T and Lita, because they don’t air enough wrestling already apparently.

- Shelton Benjamin, 41, returns Aug. 2 to Smackdown.

- Jinder Mahal and Curt Hawkins have been re-signed by the WWE, to Raw and Smackdown respectively. MVP and Stevie Richards have been contacted, and it’s believed they’ve been signed.

- For the cruiserweight division, Zach Sabre Jr., Noam Dar and TJ Perkins have been offered contracts. It’s unknown if they signed. Gran Metalik (Mascara Dorada) has signed, but he’s been denying it on Twitter because that’s what WWE tells all talent to do.

- WWE currently has a rule that it won’t tryout or sign anyone under 21. It’s unknown when this was imposed.

- Booty O’s come out for real at FYE stores on Aug. 6.

- Sin Cara apparently punched Gotch in the eye, or threw a can of soda at him. Gotch apparently gets people pissed off backstage somewhat frequently.

- Nikki Bella got a good report on her neck, and she’s now training for a return.

- Austin and Ambrose have a Network podcast on Aug. 8.

- Del Rio has an “out” clause in his contract in September, and it’s unknown if he’ll use it or not. He’s making good money, but he can make good money in TNA and Mexico right now too, given his stature.

 

I'm still shivering from Sasha's COLD-BLOODED diss of Charlotte.

"You're the daughter of Ric Flair. If not for a one-night stand, you probably wouldn't be in this ring."

 

Ok, that ending was great.

 

Not a bad ending at all but not a standout show. Chance for Smackdown to make some hay?

More thoughts:
Reigns and Rusev? This is what it's come to? Ugh.

Cesaro and Sheamus will not help either guy get over. Bad pairing, bad idea.

Bob Backlund is the best.

That opening segment was.....interesting. I like that it was different. I found all the various pairs and the lack of Cass and the KO on commentary o be very confusing. But I didn't dislike it.

Seth Rollins is also the best.

 

They need to find something for Reigns to do in Wellness Purgatory. Either he wins and elevates the title, or Rusev gets elevated with a win over the former top guy, which also elevates his title reign.

 

When Rusev was going into his spiel about the Olympics and the U.S., I was half expecting Kurt Angle's music to go off.

 

I was kind of hoping for a program with KO or Cesaro that would in KO's case be awesome or in Cesaro's finally let us find out if the Swiss can elevate his game or not once and for all.

 

You don't think it's appropriate that the Swiss Superman is excelling at being stuck in neutral?

 

Who is writing the Smackdown women's division and why weren't they fired yesterday?

 

Watching a clip from Smackdown, nice inside joke when Heath Slater was in Daniel Bryan's office, and Heath was guessing who his opponent next for week would be: Jumpin' Marty Lunde.

Marty Lunde is Arn Anderson's real name.

 

Rhyno speared Heath Slater AND the world of politics!

WWE professional wrestler Rhyno wins 15th District Michigan State House Republican primary race