JakeRobertsParoleOfficer

That's correct.

Prior to the spinal stroke, barring a few everything was negative about him in shoots:

Arrogant, dismissive, couldn't work, stitched up vince (by leaving even though no contract???....which kind of contradicts the wwf contract that nash and Co said had a rollover unless you issued a letter of intent  and requested it not to), got Liz on "stuff" which killed her

Virtually every shoot had a negative view on him ranging from disliked to abject hated.

I think the only ones who didn't outright cain him where his mates from the time: Sting, and the Steiners

Now he's referred to in much more positive tones than he was in all those mind 2000 shoots.

There's multiple versions around the 'Luger' story.

1 that got played alot (before Luger suffered his health issues and become 'loved' by all) was that he was down to win the title at Summerslam but got pissed up, spilt the beans on this a few days before and therefore the then WWF changed lanes!

The WWF was a mess 93-96 creative wise. They couldn't decide if they wanted to go with the smaller guys (Bret etc) or still keep the big guys as the headliners....or go more 'real' or go totally cartoon

There's alot of 'gold' in there but also some baffling choices and I wouldn't be surprised if alot of the rumours aren't at least half true (e.g. the returning Quake to feud with Shawn michaels over the WWF title??)

I don't think wrestling would be anywhere near as hig and popular without that Hogan/McMahon combo

Vinces work ethic, ego and probably insanity to go where Angels feared to tread business wise and Hogan for looking like a real life comic book hero, who was a media darling and talk you into the seats!

It was the perfect storm combo and enabled them to capture the mtv/ppv mainstream market where wrestling was no longer seen as the 'dirty, dark venue, redneck enjoyed freakshow'

In a perverse way I liken it to the way darts changed in the 90s. The pdc going the showbiz route whereas bdo still tried to retain its original image. 

It was a helluva gamble and paid off and sadly (as a darts player who loved the book  amateur side of it) the BDO just looked more and more outdated till it died.

16 hours ago, Loki said:

They really dropped the ball with Kennedy, he was very over, was a solid worker and had bags of charisma.  He was fun in TNA but I guess if Orton and Cena don’t like you, you’re never getting back into WWE.

I'm not so sure

I remember one of the Mags around  the time saying he had 'rock' level promo skills

Clearly wasn't the case but was decent but the work after the promo was boring as hell!!!

I think he did very well with what he had, ala Warrior.

Massive fan of 'model' era Rick Martel.

Great body, could talk, pissed charisma and a super worker.

In todays era would be a megastar.

Powers of pain are another good shout. How they never held the titles are beyond me. These 2 would make even the. Biggest guys today look puny.

I was thinking this, the other day and how the product up till recently felt like it stood still for about 20 years and and yet if you look at that same timescale 1970 wwwf and 1990 wwf are almost like millennia apart.

He'll, wwf 1987 and 1992 look a million years apart.

In 1993 Bossman looked washed up in jobbing on way out to Bam Bam and he was 29!!!

EarthQuake on the way out of wwf in 1993 looked like his run was over and he was....29

Warlords last match for wwf and his run was considered over was 3 weeks into being 30

All look like relics of a bygone era and under 30

Even though we think of feuds and 'runs' lasting longer in 'retro' era wwf, the reality looking back is that alot seemed to change every 3 years.

Hell attitude era and hogan 1990 era are only about 7 years apart yet the product is so different!!!

Crikey thought that was Jim Bowen for a minute 

So who u got now,  Usyk or Fury?

Was shocked by the result, but you could see early Francis had no guard to the straight right.

Genuinely thought since Francis has a mma chin of granite he'd wash through AJ...clearly wrong.

Does make me think of Furys headspace.

The guy who knocked me down and arguably beat me. Just got iced in 2 by AJ whom my next opponent Usyk whom toyed with him!!!

I think Usyk will beat fury, set up AJ 3, beat home again and retire!!!

If Aj was to somehow beat usyk in fight 3, I'd argue you gotta put him.above Lewis, especially if he beats a few more opponents.

Was literally just going to post this.

So he was actually 73!!!! 3 years older than Ted Dibiase.

Kind of now makes more sense the ageing and health issues last few years as he was hitting his 70s not 60s.

Basically he's about 18m younger than Flair 

Given how close Cena was/is to McMahon I'm not buying for 1 red second that he wasn't aware of this sh*t.

He's probably figured if he tries the "pull the ladder up Jack" on Vince he'll get named and shamed!!!

Given how utterly in its own bubble the wrestling world is I imagine EVERY wrestler of a certain vintage (or I reckon whose career started pre 2015) is shitting himself on either their actions, enablement or culpability being called!!!

I do think its only when he's gone (need dead) that the sheer extent of his doings will come to light.

This is a man who wanted to do an incest angle with his daughter and then when that was refused, get his kids to do it......and was when brazen enough to actually include it in their dvd!!!!

You only have to look at things like:

Necrophilia angle

The whole Trish stratus affair and "bark like a dog angle"

Kiss my ass club

Etc

The whole Mr McMahon persona probably isn't a gimmic at all.

As Ian said, God knows what he was like in the 80s (a debauched era anyway) when he was printing money!!!

Riding massive success, still young, coked up,  juiced up  and in a 'then' enclosed industy where no-one spilled the beans due to kayfabe....he was probably some Caligula'esque mega deviant able to do exactly what he wanted!!!

You just know Hogan and Vince tag-teamed together!!!

She was stunning in 96!!!

Interesting to hear her speak back then as opposed to the last 20 years as she's got such a baritone voice now (must of been a heavy smoker) 

Fury treating this as a foregone conclusion and piling the weight on is a massive mistake.

Neva seen him in this condition so close to fight time. 

It's unlikely but if Nganouu is fit and can go past 6, no way is fury not going to start gassing. Those knees and joints are going to thank him either! 

Ngannou is also a giant of a man

Not saying it will happen but I don't think even if your the best fighter in the world you can come in grosse shape and win 100/100.

Al Snow as some great ones:

- There is only one pop per event and thats the main event. 

-If the crowd pops on your entrance, turn around and go back in as you've done you bit

The last one there is insane as it basically means someone like Hogan should have come out, and if the crowd pops (lets be honest when didn't it for Hogan 1984-1991) he should have just fucked he match off...... Queue the riot that would have ensued!!! 

I did used to like Ravens secret of the ring series. 

Yes he could be an arrogant egotist but he acknowledged he wasn't a mega star and whatsmore made alot of sense:

If you want to be a star you have to be loved or hate.... Not the middle. 

Need your own moveset 

Don't be afraid to sell

Have a reason for your moves/combinations etc

Invest in your look/character (if it looks cheap... You look third tier) 

Be unique or at least your own character 

Dont take stupid bumps or a million if u want a long career. 

All sensible advice. 

Said powerplant was a sadist cardio to death place

Tazs ecw one was like a dojo (which was rediculous as taz had been in he business 5m)

For all his issues id take his insight over Al Snows any day! 

1 hour ago, David said:

There isn't a promoter in the land that wouldn't complain about that. He knows his guy wasn't winning a technical boxing match. It was generally believed that Dubois would need to land a hard shot and win that way. Which, it could be argued, he did. 

But even with all of that aside, he wouldn't be doing his job if he just said, "yeah, my guy wasn't up to the task." It's his job to ensure the narrative is that Dubois was robbed and was unlucky so that when his next fight comes around, there's a lot of interest.

Have you seen his rants.

He's acting like a tit. 

If he handled it with abit more class rather than acting like his fighter wad robbed it'd be different. 

Its not like his fighter was DQ when ahead on points, or winning. 

Bottom line is that if he was ever going to win it DD should have emptied the tanks with usyk hurt. 

He didn't and finished the round on the losing end!!! 

It was Definately low, there's a million freeze frames and angle shots thst show it. 

Again it comes done to what camp your in, as to what you want to see. 

Perosnally I think he chanced his arm, reached from the Andrew Golota "kill his nutsack" playbook!!! 

Frank Warren is a bellend for complaining. 

It's not like Dubois was caining him, landed low and it 

1. Bought usyk time

And

2. Saves him from certain defeat

Dubois lost every round, and even when usyk was clearly still not right didn't go in and finish the job.... Hell usyk finished the round better tham dubois! 

Iow blow aside, all DD did was get his arse handed to him for 9 rounds!!

Warren must be a sadist to want to put DD through that again. 

In the end DD didn't know wether he was Daniel Dubois or Dani Minogue. All he knew was there was a canvas beneath for him and he reached for it!! 

Warren is jus arse hurt as guarantee of DD had been awarded that, it'd be DD vs Fury as early as December!! 

RIP Terry

Amazing to think he had his last match bin 2017, aged, what 73!

Surely the longest to ever do it as he turned pro in what? 1965, so 52 years?? 

Guy literally appeared in every major promotion, both US and Japan (surely must have the record for that as well??) 

Beyond the mat, was filmed in 98, and he was around 53 at the time and being told that his body was knackered then. That he did another 20 years into his near mid 70s is incredible. 

A true one off it pretty much just leaves flair as the last of the 'touring' guys. We won't see the I'll of these guys again!! 

8 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

🎵 “I know you want meeeeeeee. I know you want me baby”🎵

Jesus christ!! 

On 6/24/2023 at 5:18 PM, Egg Shen said:

fuck knows if that actually happens next week, there's no undercard been announced from what I can see.

The same promotion has announced Mark Coleman's opponent for later in the year, former World Champion, Montel Griffin. The actual clips of Coleman shadow boxing look worse each time they release one. I really hope it doesn't happen. Coleman is fucked.

 

 

This is terrible. 

A life long roider. Coleman has had I think replacments on both hips,  knees, had major shoulder issues... And a confirmed heart attack!!! 

Can't Dana just escrow him some money to save him from himself at this point?? 

On the subject of being a draw I'd argue that Hogan, being able to sell the merch he did, venues he did and attract the kind of global attention he did without the outlets we have now is a far bigger accomplishment and representative of being a draw (and to a slightly lesser degree rock and austin as they came later), than anything that can be achieved today. 

Punk for me just isn't in that league

Can we take a moment to stare in awe at Jimmy Hart who doesn't seem to age and has just turned 79!

Probably more for a different topic but wrestling which was such a big part of my life, now just feels so distant and almost like its not there anymore. 

In a weird way like when your 14 you watched 'home and away' and it was a topic of conversation and then you grew up and then accidentally chance upon it in yours 30s, and its a shock its still there as no one in your social circle has ever referenced it. 

Last time I was into it was TNA in 2010 when the nWo returned (the band), as I was regailing my kids on nWo history. When that died off so did my love affair with wrestling really. 

Now when I see the product and how stale it was/is and how bland (to me) the wrestlers are I just can't connect and see how it's popular, let such a money spinner. Then again I'm 42 and enjoyed its glory years, and when u look at the toys in smyths (with kids) I look and think (the hasbro Earthquake pisses on that dolph ziggler) 

John tenta anyone

Everyone seems to say he was lovely. 

I'm sure Owen was beloved.... As he ruined people's ring gear, or damaged their property etc all in the name of a good 'rib'