WrestleMania 31 Recap

The thirty-first installment of WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, took place at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California in front of a reported capacity crowd of 76,976. There were several big storylines going into this event.

Would this be Sting’s first, and last, WWE match? Could The Undertaker return to glory after his big loss last year? Would the fans reject the company’s new heir apparent, Roman Reigns, on the grandest stage?
Will John Cena stop the mad Russian and bring the U.S. title back to the states?

Click here to check out my review at Forces of Geek.com

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” →

It’s Showtime Folks: Thought’s on Sting’s Return

It took 13 years, but Sting finally appeared on WWE television in an official capacity. Albeit it was in a commercial for the company’s 2K15 video game, but it was still cool to see something after months of speculation. Gamers will be happy to have the WCW icon as a full-fledged character in the game as opposed to taking tedious amounts of time to create him. I really enjoyed this commercial. The violinists playing Sting’s original crow theme as he emerged from the shadows was very well done. I can’t get that song out of my head as I’ve been humming it since Monday. The next logical step in this promotion’s progression should culminate with an in-ring appearance. Then again, that might be just a pipe dream. Continue reading “It’s Showtime Folks: Thought’s on Sting’s Return” →

21-1: Dissection of the Undertaker’s Streak

Originally written for and published by Camel Clutch Blog April 2014

The Undertaker’s Streak, WrestleMania’s greatest attraction has come to an end, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I’m not outraged like a lot of fans are, even though I understand their sentiment. I’m not sure if I’m satisfied with how it ended, but I can certainly live with it.

When I broke down this match on the Bodyslam Podcast, I said I wouldn’t be surprised if Brock Lesnar won which was the opposite opinion in the studio. I would have bet the farm on the Undertaker getting his hand raised, but something about the buildup to the match told me it might go the other way.

When Lesnar delivered that third F-5, I knew it was over. Instead of looking at the TV screen, I looked at my friends in the living room as the referee counted 1-2-3. The room was pin-drop silent, and my friend’s jaws were on the floor, which mirrored the fans inside the Superdome.

So, why Brock Lesnar? It’s been reported that it was Taker’s call to make him the guy, but what were the circumstances that lead to this decision? Was this Undertaker’s last match? Was this a designed to make Lesnar matter again? Or, was this simply done to give WrestleMania 30 that shocking moment that has everyone talking? We may never know the real answer behind this heavily debated decision.

The general consensus is that Lesnar was the way wrong guy to end the streak because he is already a big name player and is only wrestling part-time. Plus, his cantankerous reputation outside of the ring makes him hard to like thus he is undeserving of this accomplishment.

I have a different opinion on the matter. If you look at wrestling through the prism that it is real and ignore all the internet rumors and backstage crap, It makes sense that Brock Lesnar ended the streak. His character has accumulated more titles and won more significant matches in a faster amount of time than most WWE Superstars. When he traded theater for combat, he won the UFC heavyweight title in his fourth professional fight by dethroning the seemingly un-beatable Randy Couture.

I was perusing the Camel Clutch Blog and found a fascinating article covering the backstage urban legends of WrestleMania. The word is Undertaker was in serious jeopardy of losing two of his WrestleMania matches before Sunday. A loss in either match would have dramatically altered the deadman’s career and killed the streak before it began. Now that Brock Lesnar has made history, the question remains, was he the right guy or was there a better choice along way to 21-1? Let’s take a look.

The Undertaker vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka WrestleMania 7 – Taker was the new monster on the block and Snuka’s best days were behind him. There was no logical reason for outcome to go any other way but a Tombstone piledriver for the 1-2-3.

The Undertaker vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts WrestleMania 8 – Roberts was on his was out of the company so it made no sense to put him over. Plus, Undertaker had just turned, so losing his first big match as a babyface would have stifled that endeavor.

The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez WrestleMania 9 – It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if at one time, Taker losing to Gonzalez was on the books. Vince McMahon saw a lot of money in the 7’ 6” Argentinean at one time. However, history shows that the right guy won that night.

The Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy WrestleMania 11 – This is one of the matches that Eric talked about in his article. Bundy had just returned to the WWF and Vince probably believed he would be the top heel again like he was against Hulk Hogan years earlier. The right call was made considering Bundy, in his second run, came off as more a caricature of his former self.

The Undertaker vs. Diesel WrestleMania 12 – I understand the thought process behind Undertaker losing here. Shawn Michaels was getting the title and Diesel was set to be his first program as champion. You want a title challenger coming off a big win so the people will buy him as a threat. Luckily, Big Daddy Cool was headed for WCW so it was a non-issue.

The Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid WrestleMania 13 – Nothing to worry about here. Shawn Michaels lost his smile, scrapping the rematch with Bret Hart, and the call was made to put the belt on the Undertaker and push him as the top star in the company.

The Undertaker vs. Kane: WrestleMania 14 – Like Undertaker was eight years earlier, Kane was the new monster in town and looking for revenge against his big brother. As a non-smartened up fan who was oblivious to the internet, my jaw would have hit the floor if Taker lost since that was rare. Now that I’m a little more enlightened, Kane winning wouldn’t have been that big of a surprise and might have been the right call?

The Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man WrestleMania 15 – This is another streak match where the outcome was academic. The Attitude Era was in full swing and the Ministry angle was just gaining momentum.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H WrestleMania 17 – Thinking about it now, Triple H could have easily walked out of the Astrodome with the win. He was one of the top stars in the company and a mainstay in the world title picture. For a while, this was considered their greatest WrestleMania match.

The Undertaker vs. Ric Flair WrestleMania 18 – Ric Flair was on the back end of his career and more of an attraction than a serious contender. There was no reason to have the Nature Boy conquer the Dead Man. Side Note This match would be the last time we would ever see the famous Arn Anderson Spinebuster.

The Undertaker vs. Big Show & A-Train WrestleMania 19 – This was supposed to be a tag team match. However, Nathan Jones was so horribly bad in the ring that they filmed an angle, having him assaulted in the locker room, which removed him from the match. Even under handicap rules, Show and Train were too far down the card to be taken seriously as a threat.

The Undertaker vs. Kane WrestleMania 20 – This is the least likely time the Undertaker would ever lose at WrestleMania. Fans were tired of the American Bad Ass Biker gimmick and wanted the Deadman back in the worst way. That’s exactly what they got.

The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania 21 – This marks the first time the streak was used as a part of the story. Randy Orton was quickly rising through the ranks as the “legend killer” and some had him pegged as the future of the business. It would have made sense to end the streak here but Orton’s backstage attitude didn’t instill the confidence need for the company to go all the way with him at that time.

The Undertaker vs. Mark Henry WrestleMania 22: Before Mark Henry was sending opponents to his Hall of Pain, there was a fifteen year period where he couldn’t get heat if he was on fire. Vince gave the big man quite a few start and stop monster pushes in order to capitalize on his multi-million dollar investment. At the time, the streak was a deal but not a big deal. In the end, I think the powers that be were building Henry to make him credible for a match with the Undertaker with no designs of an upset.

The Undertaker vs. Batista WrestleMania 23 – Taker was coming off of his first Royal Rumble win and Batista was the world heavyweight champion. At the time, some felt Taker should have passed the torch to the younger superstar. However, ending the streak wouldn’t have increased Batista’s already popular status enough to justify such an accomplishment.

The Undertaker vs. Edge WrestleMania 24 – Edge was an amazing performer in any role, and while ending the streak would have served him well, telling a good story takes precedent over elevating talent who doesn’t necessarily need the boost. The Undertaker was in the unfamiliar role of underdog since he was going against a foe he had never bested and was also undefeated at WrestleMania. Redemption was required.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania 25 –Not only did this match make the streak famous but we really had no idea who was going to win. This babyface vs. babyface encounter between two wrestlers who are in the GOAT discussion not only exceeded expectations but shattered them. The result produced the definitive pro wrestling match of the modern era.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels II WrestleMania 26 – Streak vs. Career is all you really need to say. This match also produce that “who’s going to win” factor because Michaels’ retirement was a well-kept secret. I remember thinking Michaels would win and that would set up the rubber match with Taker wanting revenge for the loss.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H II WrestleMania 27 – A great story is not always about the end but how you get there. We knew Triple H wasn’t going to end the streak, but that didn’t matter. Undertaker losing in victory made us wonder if the tank was finally empty.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H III WrestleMania 28 – Proving that a win wasn’t a fluke is all the motivation one needs. Especially when the person you beat is unapologetically convinced that he has your number. Again, we knew Triple H wasn’t going to win but the end result proved he was the right guy across the ring that evening.

The Undertaker vs. CM Punk WrestleMania 29 – Before he walked out on the company, I believed that CM Punk could have been the right guy to end the streak. It was a fresh match up in a sense that their previous bouts took place before Punk was a main eventer. However, with Paul Bearer’s passing being used as a part of the story, there is no way Punk was going over in that situation.

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania 30 – We all know what happened here.

Many feel the Undertaker’s streak should have only ended at the hands of a star on the rise in order to make them into a main event player, but WWE’s proclivity to start and stop pushes makes giving the win an un-established star a fool’s errand. Roman Regins and Bray Wyatt are being groomed for main event success, and having one of them win might have been too predictable which is what you don’t want when trying to entertain an audience. Plus, Brock Lesnar is now special again after losing his je ne sais quoi when he put over John Cena in his first match back with WWE. So, in essence, the streak accomplished its desired intent. It made someone.

I’d remiss if I didn’t talk about the elephant in the room. The match itself was horrible, and that fact is now dwarfed the enormity of the moment. If what we saw last Sunday was a mirage, all we would be talking about is how slow and lethargic the Deadman looked. He was hurt during the match, still, the intensity was missing, and the magic is gone.

I don’t think any of us want to live in a world where a poor performance is our last memory of the Undertaker. He’s earned better than that, and at 49 years old, I think he believes that too which is why he ultimately made the decision to put over Brock Lesnar. Along with Bret Hart, the Undertaker is my favorite wrestler of all time. If WrestleMania 30 was his last hurrah, I want to thank Mark Calaway for making me believe that a bad ass doesn’t have to be a bad guy.

WrestleMania 30 Roundtable

The Bodyslam crew presents the second annual WrestleMania Roundtable where they break down everything WrestleMania 30 and the 2014 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. Plus, we will announce the winner of our WWE DVD giveaway!

Click here to get ready for the showcase of the immortals

Follow the Bodyslam podcast on Twitter @BodySlamPodcast

The Body Slam Podcast Ep 17: The Undertaker’s Streak, WWE Network & A Tale About A WWE Hall of Famer

The Body Slam crew takes a break from the big news items of the week. Shane Daly discusses the past, present, and future of the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, Todd Graham gives his thoughts on what he wants to see on the WWE Network, and Atlee Greene shares his unique experience with a WWE Hall of Famer.

Click here and get slammed

If you want to ask a question to be read on the air or you just want to let us know how awesome we are, hit up us up at bodyslampodcast@gmail.com or Twitter @BodySlamPodcast

Remember When Mick Foley Fell off The Cell?

Do you remember where you were when the Undertaker threw Mankind off the top of the Hell in a Cell? I do, and I’ll never forget it. It was the June of 1998 and I had just finished my junior year of high school. King of the Ring was moments away, and I had earned a little extra money with my summer job in order to purchase it on pay-per-view.

Continue reading “Remember When Mick Foley Fell off The Cell?” →

Debut Episode of the Bodyslam Podcast @ Gerweck.net

– The Body Slam Podcast

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages: GERWECK.NET proudly brings to you, the debut episode of The Body Slam Podcast! BSP will provide discussion, insight and a little hilarity regarding all the hot topics in professional wrestling. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time and it finally came to fruition!

Your host, Atlee Greene, is a former wrestler and writer of the Wrestling Soap Box column for GERWECK.NET, and is joined by Shane Daly, a ring announcer for independent shows on the North East, and Todd Graham, wrestler, musician, jack of all traders and producer of our show.

In our debut episode, we discuss the announcement of Bruno Sammartino’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, The Road to WrestleMania 29, Bret Hart’s comments on HHH, and my final thoughts on whether the Undertaker should work this year’s WrestleMania.

Be sure to follow Atlee Greene on Twitter @midnightlogicgo and special thanks to Steve Gerweck for allowing us to paint on his canvas and make sure you follow him @gerweck Click here to feel the BODY SLAM!!!

Brock Lesnar Reportedly Arrives in Miami and Signs with WWE

In what could be the biggest news story of the year or a major April fools joke, several news sources have reported that Brock Lesnar arrived in Miami earlier today with a fleet of security. The word on the street is he has signed a one year deal with the WWE and will appear at Wrestlemania tomorrow night. Lesnar retired from MMA competition after losing to Alistair Overeem on December 30th at UFC 141. Rumors of his return to the WWE have linked him to having a match down the line with either The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Undertaker.

Continue reading “Brock Lesnar Reportedly Arrives in Miami and Signs with WWE” →

Confessions of a Wrestling Superfan: Chapter 2: WrestleMania 14

I was a junior in High School when Wrestlemania 14 invaded the Fleet Center in Boston. I marked out like a schoolgirl at a Justin Bieber concert when it as announced a year earlier during the Wrestlemania 13 broadcast. Fast forward one year later, and I’m wondering how I’m going to skip school without my parents finding out to see the WrestleMania Public Workout at City Hall Plaza.

It was a well-timed endeavor that required me to leave my house and walk all the way around my neighborhood and double back to hideout at a friend’s house, who was also skipping school. My father is one of those folks who loves to look out the window and take in the sights. The only way to avoid him was to stand on the back porch banister and jump over a large un-climbable fence. I flew over the fence with the grace of a bear and hit the ground running on my way to the train station.

I arrived at City Hall Plaza three hours early, and there must have been 5,000 people already there. In-ring action saw Taka Michinoku pin Scott Taylor to retain Light Heavyweight title and the Headbangers defeated Los Boricuas to retain the NWA Tag Team Titles. The show ended with an in-ring confrontation between Steve Austin and DX, with Mike Tyson, in which Austin was jumped by Los Boricuas and tied in the ring ropes, allowing Tyson, HBK, and HHH to kiss Austin’s head.

Shawn Michaels received no love from the Boston faithful as some fan nailed him in the head with a battery. He left the ring in a heated frenzy, and HHH was left to pick up the pieces with a confused Mike Tyson. Shawn and Vince McMahon got into a heated argument in the entranceway and Vince had the angriest look I have ever seen on a human being as he yelled and pointed at the ring. Of course, HBK listened to the boss and went back to the ring.

Later that evening, my father summoned me to the living room. I had no idea what was coming as he calmly asked me to sit down and watch something he had recorded. He popped a tape into the VCR and I was treated to the six o’clock news courtesy of WCBV Channel 5 Boston. News anchor Natalie Jacobs provided a lovely voice-over saying, “You are watching a truant officer’s worst nightmare” as the camera panned by yours truly flipping the bird and yelling obscenities while proudly wearing my Austin 3:16 shirt.

My jaw hit the floor in sheer terror as he rewound the tape and asked me if I recognized the individual on the screen. I couldn’t believe it. He asked me what I was thinking, but my mouth could not produce an answer. He told me I was grounded for a week, and I could forget about Wrestlemania.

Around 2:00 pm on Wrestlemania Sunday, a sudden rush of courage came out of nowhere, and I knew I was catching that 2:49 pm train into Boston. As I left the house, my Mom asked me where I was going. I didn’t say anything, I just looked at her. She knew where I was going and gave me her blessing with a simple smile.

My friends and I arrived in Boston and the front door of the Fleetcenter was turned in a mini block party courtesy of the W.W.F. Every local radio station was giving out free food and swag. We bought stolen Wrestlemania t-shirts from some guy in an alley. I also bumped into Vlad the superfan that can be spotted in the front row of every W.W.F. pay-per-view in the ’80s to ’90s. I wanted to ask him how he always got such good seats but I was too scared to ask.

We secured our last row balcony seats and get ready for the grand-daddy of them all. The show opens with the worst rendition of the national anthem ever sang courtesy of Chris Warren’s D-Generation X band. I believe it was dubbed the “new wave alternative version.” They were booed out of the building, and if you heard it, you would have booed them too. Jim Ross tried to cover it up on commentary by saying, “That is what the W.W.F. is all about. The freedom of expression.”

The opening match was a Tag Team Battle Royal to determine the #1 contenders for the tag titles. Animal & Hawk won by eliminating The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob Holly & Bodacious Bart Gunn). They came in with a new look calling themselves L.O.D. 2000 and a new manager in Sunny. L.O.D. got a big pop when their music hit because they were in the midst of a break up the last time they were seen on T.V. There were a lot of makeshift teams, and the one that got the biggest reaction was Flash Funk & Steve Blackman. Taka Michinoku pinned Aguila with the Michinoku Driver to retain the Light Heavyweight title. Both wrestlers worked hard but their match equated to a firework show.

Triple H pinned Owen Hart to retain the European Championship after a low blow from Chyna. The main attraction of this match was whether or not Chyna could interfere in the match since she was handcuffed to Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Chyna threw powder in Slaughter’s face during the closing moments of the match, giving her the opening to cost Hart the match.

Marc Mero & Sable defeated Goldust & Luna Vachon in a mixed tag team match. Sable was unquestionably the star of this match as her Powerbomb on Luna got one of the biggest pops of the night. Ken Shamrock defeated the Rock via ankle lock submission to win the Intercontinental Championship…but the decision was reversed when Shamrock wouldn’t let go of the ankle lock and belly to belly suplexed the officials who tried to make him release the hold. At the time, I was extremely disappointed about this because I was a big Shamrock fan.

The best match of the night was the Dumpster Match, where Cactus Jack & Terry Funk defeated the New Age Outlaws to win the tag team titles. The finish came when Funk used a forklift to drop the champions in a dumpster backstage. The titles were declared vacant the next night on Raw since it was determined the Outlaws were dumped in the wrong dumpster…lol, you got to love this business.

The Undertaker and Kane wrestled each other for the very first time. Before the match, Pete Rose came out and called Boston the city of losers and made references to the 1986 World Series. Kane came out and hit Rose with the Tombstone for his trouble.

Undertaker won the match after hitting Kane with three tombstone piledrivers. Afterward, Kane recovered and tombstoned the Undertaker onto a steel chair. This was the match I was most excited about, and it didn’t deliver. It was slow-paced, and the fans were chanting “Holyfield, Holyfield” throughout the match

The main event featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels w/ Mike Tyson as the special guest enforcer was a great match, but it is known more for its historical significance. Austin winning the WWF Title in this setting solidified him as the biggest superstar in the industry.

Everything was executed to perfection. The finish came when Austin caught the superkick, and hit the Stunner. Tyson revealed he was wearing an Austin 3:16 shirt underneath his DX attire, and K.O.’d Michaels for his trouble. Watching this at the time felt like you were a part of something special. It is one of the most important WrestleMania moments of all time because it ushered in the Attitude Era.

My friends and I were on cloud nine as we walked down to the commuter rail platform, only to discover the 11:49 pm train was going to be delayed until 2:00 am. Great, I already was going to catch an ass whooping from my Dad, and now I won’t be home until almost 3:00 am. I should have called my folks to let them know, but I was too scared.

Outside it was pandemonium. Yelling, screaming, and people getting arrested were the sights of the evening. Fans jumped on the hood of any wrestler’s car that left through the front gate of the arena. A white limo pulled up to the gate, and security doubled in an instant.

The limo took a right-hand turn out of the gate and stopped in the middle of the street. A muscular bald guy in jeans and a black t-shirt emerged from the sunroof. He was looking in the opposite direction so no one could see his face. Fans rushed to see if it was him. I snuck by the police and made it to the limo. He turned to look at me and it was him! Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Like the biggest mark, I yelled: “IT’S HIM, IT’S REALLY HIM.” The police blockade became a wall of jello as fans ran towards the limo. Austin started slapping hands with everyone as the police pulled people off the limo. I hung on to the limo with my knees on the bumper and hands gripped tightly to the boomerang-shaped T.V. antenna until one of Boston’s finest knocked me down with a forearm shiver to the jaw.

Definitely not my proudest moment.

I got home a little before 3:00 am, and lucky for me, my Dad was asleep. It felt like I had only slept for two minutes, and it was already time to get ready for school. I told my Mom about the train delay and asked her if I could stay home, and of course, she said no.

I came home after going through school like a zombie, expecting my father’s wrath. He was at work, and I asked my Mom if he had said anything. She replied, “He didn’t say anything. Nothing at all”. I said, “How could that be?” and she said, “He should have known better than to think he could prevent you from going to WrestleMania of all things…You’re still grounded, though.”