The Body Slam Podcast Ep 19: What if WCW didn’t go out of business?

In this edition of the Bodyslam Podcast, Atlee Greene, Shane Daly and Todd Graham tackle a very interesting listener question. What if WCW didn’t go out of business in 2001? There is so much ground to cover on this subject between what actually happened and what could have been. We discussed a wide array of topics on this matter including…

-How long would they have lasted?

-Could an Eric Bishoff owned WCW survive and would he learn from his mistakes?

-Would Eric Bischoff push younger talent as main eventers?

-Who would be the face of the company today?

-Would Hulk Hogan still have creative control and backstage power?

-What station would their TV show be on?

-And so much more!

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WWE Network Recommendations

I crawled into bed late last night to watch TV. Channel after channel, nothing tickled my fancy until I said “Hey, you have the WWE Network.” I logged onto my iPhone and fell asleep watching WrestleMania Rewind chronicling the iconic confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. When I woke up, I realized I’d just experienced something that my ten year old self could only dream of. Continue reading “WWE Network Recommendations” →

Ten Greatest WWE Champions of All Time

The WWE Championship is the holy grail of professional wrestling. It’s the belt that every aspiring and current wrestler dreams of holding. Having this honor bestowed upon you means you are the best that this business has to offer.

Today, I will rank the top ten WWE Champions of all time.

To say this list was hard to compile would be a colossal understatement—42 wrestlers over 50 years made for several list changes. The thing to remember is that all lists of this type are subjective. You do the best you can with criteria that make sense to you.

For example, Money is extremely important, but being a big draw doesn’t define a wrestler. Iron Man 3 made over four hundred million at the box office, but it’s not winning Best Picture at the Oscars.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

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RoboCop Saves Sting From The Four Horsemen

In honor of the RoboCop reboot hitting movie theaters today, I feel it’s only appropriate to reminisce about one of wrestling’s greatest moments. Ok, I’m joking. People hated it and its widely considered the most preposterous publicity stunt in the history of wrestling. As a nine-year-old kid who thought wrestling was real, I loved it. My imagination ran wild with possibilities as the cybernetic law enforcement officer found a new partner in a man called Sting. Continue reading “RoboCop Saves Sting From The Four Horsemen” →

Daniel Bryan’s Babyface Turn Elicits The Crowds Of Yesteryear

Last weeks episode of Monday Night Raw ended with a frenzy of “YES” chants when Daniel Bryan turned babyface, after two weeks of being a heel, he laid out Bray Wyatt in the middle of the ring. It was the perfect scenario as Bryan had his nemesis all to himself and locked in a steel cage. The live crowd can make or break a match because they provide that intangible “thing” that makes a moment so special. However, in general, crowd reactions aren’t as vociferous as they once were.

Continue reading “Daniel Bryan’s Babyface Turn Elicits The Crowds Of Yesteryear” →

Undertaker vs. Undertaker: The Gravest Match In Summer Slam History

Column written for gerweck.net

I thought that Undertaker vs. Undertaker was going to be the greatest match of all time. To say I was wrong is a huge understatement. The forgettable encounter at Summer Slam 1994 is remembered as one of the most horrendous main events in wrestling history. As a kid, I ate up anything and everything that wrestling had to offer, but this was a match that can’t be defended.

Continue reading “Undertaker vs. Undertaker: The Gravest Match In Summer Slam History” →

Things I forgot about WrestleMania 2

With WrestleMania 29 upon us, I got the sudden urge last week to dig into my DVD collection and watch WrestleMania 2. It’s not the most popular Mania of all time, but it was a big deal back in 1986.

The first time I watched this event was in the early 90’s when I rented it from a mom and pop video store that had a massive wrestling collection. I believe this was the first time I had watched it since and boy, did I forget a lot about this event! In fact, I forgot so much of what happened that I almost turned in my wrestling fan card.

Continue reading “Things I forgot about WrestleMania 2” →

Is it time to Reboot the WWE?

WWE Television is currently a stale product. Professional wrestling always has its down time before another boom period arrives. In order for the boom to take place, however, a new star needs to emerge. This person needs to be a bonafide superstar the caliber of Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock. Simply being a wrestling star such as John Cena, CM Punk, and Randy Orton will not move the needle in the required direction. When this boom period finally occurs, it’s usually a wrestler who was waiting in the wings for their big break. These days, Dolph Ziggler is the usual suspect. He is a good worker but can he be the box office smash that brings the business to Attitude Era heights?

On October 1, 2012, Monday Night Raw drew its lowest rating in 15 years. The company improved its rating by having its 67-year-old chairman wrestle the WWE champion. While it was certainly an attention grabber, it was only a short-term solution since Vince can’t wrestle every week. While Raw moving back to two hours would be a move in the right direction, it doesn’t address the larger problem at hand. The process of booking by committee dilutes what storylines ultimately end up on television. If the big three can’t do any more than they already have and there is no legitimate heir apparent on the horizon; what else can be done?

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A Trip Down SummerSlam Memory Lane

(Written for and published by gerweck.net)

As the WWE celebrates the 25th anniversary of their summertime extravaganza, a trip down memory lane seemed appropriate. 1988 was the first installment of this popular yearly event and the first pay-per-view event I ever watched.

August 29th of that year was only the second day of my wrestling fandom. An episode of “The Superstars of Wrestling” the night before sucked me in as the “Mega Powers,” comprised of Hulk Hogan & Macho Man Randy Savage, hyped their tag team match against Andre the Giant and The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, the “Mega Bucks.”

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Oops!…Kevin Nash Did It Again

Kevin_Nash

(Column I wrote for gerweck.net)

Kevin Nash recently made some comments in an interview with grantland.com that has drawn the ire of wrestlers and fans alike.

“When Benoit and Guerrero hugged [at the end of Wrestle Mania XX], that was the end of the business,” “Has business been the same since that Wrestle Mania? Has it come close to the Austin era? Has it come close to the nWo or the Hogan era? You put two fucking guys that were great workers that were the same height as the f***ing referees, and I’m sorry, man. Are you going to watch a porno movie with a guy with a three-inch dick? Even if you’re not gay, you will not watch a porno movie with a guy with a three-inch dick. That’s not the standard in porno films. So you put a 5-foot-7 guy as your world champion.”

“They’re not bigger than life (CM Punk and Daniel Bryan). I bet they could both walk through airports and not be noticed unless they have a gimmick shirt on and the belt.”

Continue reading “Oops!…Kevin Nash Did It Again” →