Looking Back At The First Royal Rumble Match

This Sunday will mark the 28^th installment of the Royal Rumble. The Rumble itself is arguably the year’s most anticipated match. Between the wrestlers’ order of entry and that element of surprise when the unexpected occurs, there are many nuances that make this match so exciting.

Going back to the inaugural Royal Rumble in 1988, it is clear that this initially was not some grand concept that would serve as a cornerstone of WWE programming. Quite a few things occurred that go against the grain of what we have been conditioned to expect today.

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Trophies In Pro Wrestling

In professional wrestling, championship belts are the benchmark for success. Those who wear fifteen pounds of gold and leather around their waist are either considered the best in the world, or at worst, the top two out of three.

Trophies in wrestling also award athletic achievement and recognize merit of a particular accomplishment such as winning a battle royal or tournament. Declaring an honor such as “best wrestling match” or “coolest finishing maneuver” also earns with the winning nominee a trophy.

In 2013, Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for the second time. BOSJ is held annually by New Japan Pro Wrestling and is a round robin style tournament featuring 18 wrestlers divided into two blocks. Devitt defeated Alex Shelly in the finals to take home the trophy deeming him the best junior heavyweight in the world.

My latest article at What Culture.com reviews some of the trophies in professional wrestling that either played an important part in a particular match or a wrestlers career. Click here to check out 10 Wrestling Trophies You Need To Know About.

Somebody Get Me A Condominium On The Moon: Randy Savage Makes The Hall Of Fame

After all this time, it’s finally official. Macho Man Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the HOF’s legitimacy, Savage’s induction is long past due.

To me, Randy Savage will always represent the moment professional wrestling became a lifelong passion of mine. While channel surfing on a hot summer night in 1988, I stumbled upon a Mega Powers promo and was immediately drawn in as they vowed to bankrupt the Mega Bucks at Summer Slam 88.

Continue reading “Somebody Get Me A Condominium On The Moon: Randy Savage Makes The Hall Of Fame” →

A Wrestle-less Christmas

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and I hope that continues as we enter the New Year. Christmas has come and gone and it took me a few days to realize this, but I didn’t receive a single wrestling related gift.

Let me explain.

In my circles, I’m known as the wrestling guy and when in doubt during any gift giving time of year, someone gets me a wrestling gift. I’m not nearly the collector I was in my younger years. My wife and I had a very relaxing Christmas but still, not a single WWF/WWE labeled item in my stocking or under my tree.

Maybe it’s some weird sign that I’ve finally grown up?

Nah!

Continue reading “A Wrestle-less Christmas” →

WCW Had Some Issues

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Remember when WCW was the top wrestling promotion in the world? It’s sad that they are out of business because WWE no longer has competition to push them to create quality content on a consistent basis.

For every great idea WCW had, they had one that was equally as bad. On top of that, their lack of continuity at times was down right insulting to the audience.

My my newest column at What Culture.com highlights about some of the company’s creative missteps. Make sure you check out 10 Incredible WCW Storylines That Never Got Resolved

Thoughts On CM Punk Signing With UFC

This past Saturday at UFC 181 in Las Vegas, it was announced that former WWE Superstar CM Punk has signed to fight in UFC and will make his Octagon debut sometime in 2015.

Punk was interviewed at cage side by Joe Rogan and said he is done with professional wrestling and that MMA is his full-time career now because it’s now or never for him.

Punk said that the weight class he will fight at is up in the air, but he is looking at middleweight (185 lbs), but welterweight (170 lbs) is a possibility. He also said that he will not fight at light heavyweight (205 lbs)

When asked who he was going to train with, Punk said he didn’t want to tip his hat just yet and that he is making inquires with a few camps. Continue reading “Thoughts On CM Punk Signing With UFC” →

WWE Superstars #10 Review

The second installment of “Legends” rolls on as this twisted, nightmarish, game show of combat seems to know no bounds. The Undertaker enters the fray and finds himself in a battle royal against virtually every giant that has ever competed in a WWE ring. Continue reading “WWE Superstars #10 Review” →

Do You Remember The Original ECW Invasion?

As a teenager in the growing up in the 1990’s, professional wrestling was my singular passion. While WWF/E was often front and center for me, Extreme Championship Wrestling, spent a few years as my favorite wrestling company. What drew me into ECW was the realistic storylines and hardcore atmosphere, complimented by blood, guts, tables, chairs and barbed wire brutality.

Naturally, I was thrilled when WWF and ECW worked together for a time in 1997. Taz, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Paul Heyman, and others appeared on Raw and in return, Jerry Lawler, with the help of Sabu and Rob Van Dam would infiltrate the ECW Arena. This was great stuff that really showed how to do a proper promotion vs. promotion angle.

Most wrestling fans only remember the poorly executed 2001 invasion angle involving ECW and WCW instead of its predecessor. I recently wrote an article for WhatCulture.com examining all the juicy details about this fresh concept during the heated stages of the Monday Night War. Click the link to check out 10 Things You Need To Know About The Original ECW Invasion.

Did Ambrose vs. Rollins Deliver?

My friends and I get together to watch the big four WWE pay-per-view events and tend not to care about the other eight events, otherwise known as the B-Shows. With the WWE Network, I watch these shows even though I didn’t before. On Sunday, afternoon, I received a phone call from my friend Ryan telling me he was having a get together at his house for Hell in a Cell, again,which is a B-Show.

There was only one reason why we were getting together for a show that we would normally ignore. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollin, in the main event, inside the Cell. This was the first feud that I had been legitimately excited for in a while. I mean, how could this match go wrong? Well, some feel the match delivered tenfold while others believe it left a lot to be desired.

I wrote an article breaking down the match for the Camel Clutch Blog titled “Gimmicks in a Cell”

WWE Superstars #9 Review: Legend vs. Legend

There is a rumor going around that at next year’s WrestleMania, John Cena, age 37, will square off with a 61-year-old Hulk Hogan. The predetermined nature of professional wrestling allows for certain dream matches to occur that otherwise wouldn’t happen in Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts.

However, what if this match and others could happen when both men were in their prime? Mick Foley and Shane Riches give us a look, through a bizarre prism, of what that would look like. Wrestlers from different eras are being pulled into combat across a myriad of battle fields from the roman coliseum to the pirate ships of the seven seas. Continue reading “WWE Superstars #9 Review: Legend vs. Legend” →