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.”

 
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The Miz: The Next Great IC Champ?

(Column I wrote for Gerweck.net)

I could be completely wrong about this, but The Miz could be the next great Intercontinental champion. The former Real World star became the 70th person to hold the title when he defeated Christian on the 1000th episode of Raw. He also became the 25th triple crown champion.

 

Some might say this is a demotion for the former WWE champion. However, some of the greatest wrestlers of all time held the IC title after a stint with the big boy belt. HHH, Chris Jericho, Pedro Morales are three who come to mind. Countless others made their reputation during their IC title reigns such as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Continue reading “The Miz: The Next Great IC Champ?”

Five Move’s That No Other Wrestler Should Do

hoganlegdrop

 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery in professional wrestling. But let’s be honest, there are certain moves that wrestlers just shouldn’t do. Over the years, a particular wrestler has perfected a move with such crisp efficiency that no one will ever come close to mirroring its execution. There are five moves on my list that wrestlers should stay away from because it will never be done as well as their predecessor who brought it into the limelight.

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Remember Sean Mooney and the WWF Event Center?!?!

seanmoney

You all remember Sean Mooney? He was a play by play commentator and an interviewer in the WWF from 1988 to 1993. His Event Center segment on weekend television would advertise wrestling matches for the upcoming house shows in whatever area you lived in. Mooney would list several of the matches coming to a particular event, for example, in the Boston Garden and then we would get a promo from one of the wrestlers talking about what they are going to do in their match.

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Awesome Wrestling Images From Deviant Art

The artists over at DeviantArt.com have produced some cool wrestling art work but their depictions cover all genres. If you think it, someone on this site has probably drawn it. Check out some of their images on this post and head on over to check out their catalog.

Savio Vega: Wrestling’s Worst Mystery Partner Ever

In the spirit of No Way Out this Sunday, I’m reminded of the very first installment of this pay-per-view happening back in 1998. It was the twentieth event under the In Your House banner, and the company changed the name two weeks out to No Way Out of Texas. Jeff Jarrett defended an NWA title on WWF TV against Bradshaw, Taka Michinoku wrestled a rock band, and Brian Christopher was almost fired on the spot for calling him a “jap” on commentary.

The eight-man tag team main event was scheduled to be Stone Cold Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie against Shawn Michaels, HHH, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. WrestleMania 14 was on the horizon and with Mike Tyson’s involvement in the Austin/Michaels title match, there was very little interest in this event. No Way Out was the first event that my friends and I didn’t care to see which is shocking if you knew how much we loved wrestling when we were in high school.

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Ten Greatest WWE Intercontinental Champions Of All Time

The WWE Intercontinental championship is the most revered and perhaps the most respected title belt among professional wrestling fans. For the longest time, it was this championship that produced the most anticipated and exciting matches.

More times than not, those who wore this coveted title were able to elevate their careers as a result. As a kid, I was more excited for the IC title matches than I was for the world title matches. Today I’m going to list the Top 10 Intercontinental Champions of all time. This list is based on tenure as champion and their accomplishments beyond.

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Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146???

The internet is up in arms over Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146 this past Saturday. Everyone wants to know: is he ditching the WWE, once again, for Octagon glory? The answer is yes. Well, at least until Junior Dos Santos was declared the winner.

In his retirement speech, Brock stated his plan was to win the title one more time and retire as champion. It’s been proven that if you can throw a decent punch, you can beat Brock Lesnar. Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem & Junior Dos Santos all fit this criterion. Frank Mir? Not so much. Mir can’t take a punch either, but what if he had somehow beat JDS? Brock would have been the first person in the cage to challenge him, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why he was there.

He knows he can beat Mir, and a rubber match between the two could end up being the highest drawing pay-per-view of all time. Their first bout drew 600,000 buys and their second bout drew 1.7 million buys.

Thank goodness Mir lost because if he had won, we would be reading about Lesnar quitting WWE for the second time and all the drama that would come with it. Brock is a fickle man and can get away with what most people can’t because he draws a lot of money. The funny thing is, after all the legal rigmarole, Vince would still take him back because, in the end, money talks.