Paid Members CleetusVanDamme Posted July 10, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 10, 2023 On 7/8/2023 at 3:50 PM, wandshogun09 said: Any other obvious ones not on there? The Self Destruction of the Warrior is sadly missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted July 10, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 10, 2023 BIt random but did anyone ever read what the plans were for Bobby Lashley before he got injured wrestling Kennedy in 2007? Either for Mania 24 (if they were thinking that far) or even just for SummerSlam? He was riding a crest of a wave and just been in two John Cena main events on PPV when he got hurt, I'd be interested what was lined up for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarlettChad Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 That;'s always interested me too. Maybe a rematch with Cena at Mania? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted July 11, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 11, 2023 23 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said: Maybe a rematch with Cena at Mania? It's real tough one to say because Cena's injury happening when it did, and that I've not heard anything to say what his plan for Mania was pencilled in. The "Kennedy is Vince's illegitimate son" story that was meant to lead to HHH vs Kennedy at Mania got scrapped over Ken's Wellness suspension and given that THAT match was still on the block right before Cena got injured, I always assumed that Cena vs Orton may have culminated in Orton winning the belt, the two being separated then Cena winning the Rumble as he eventually did, to go get the belt back from Randy at Mania.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonworden Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Out of the blue possibility but could they have considered turning Batista earlier and having them feud. By 2008 his popularity was waning a bit and he ended up.in that meaningless match with Umaga at Mania 24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted July 11, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 11, 2023 12 minutes ago, simonworden said: Out of the blue possibility but could they have considered turning Batista earlier and having them feud. By 2008 his popularity was waning a bit and he ended up.in that meaningless match with Umaga at Mania 24. Big Show seems to think the original plan once negotiations had started with Mayweather and he'd been contacted to come back, was for a tag with Mayweather and himself as the heels against Batista & Rey as the faces, which was scuppered when Rey got injured beforehand. But prior to all the plans changing at various points, it's feasible, though they may not have bothered turning anyone, for the longest time they weren't bothered about face vs face. Interestingly re : early Batista turn, one of the scoops that went round about Mania 25 was that all the interaction between Cena and Batista seemingly at odds with Orton on Raw around the WHC from summer 2008 right up to Dave getting the hamstring surgery (while it was HHH/Hardy/Edge for the WWE title over the road) was meant to end up with Cena vs Batista at Mania. Which in addition to HHH vs Orton and Shawn vs Taker would have (on paper, at least) been a rare example of WWE maximising the marquee value of all the top players at their disposal. Oh, and the originally planned Hardys/E&C tag match or four way possibly involving ladders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members CleetusVanDamme Posted July 11, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 11, 2023 2 hours ago, simonworden said: Out of the blue possibility but could they have considered turning Batista earlier and having them feud. By 2008 his popularity was waning a bit and he ended up.in that meaningless match with Umaga at Mania 24. Batista/Umaga was one of my biggest letdowns. I was hyped and certain it was going to rule. I wasn't slightly excited for Lashley/Umaga the year before and it ended up being class. 24 ended up being a great (and varied) card anyway, but if it had pulled off the epic battle of the monsters as well it would have an even stronger case as an all-timer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted July 11, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 11, 2023 13 minutes ago, CleetusVanDamme said: Batista/Umaga was one of my biggest letdowns. I was hyped and certain it was going to rule. I wasn't slightly excited for Lashley/Umaga the year before and it ended up being class. 24 ended up being a great (and varied) card anyway, but if it had pulled off the epic battle of the monsters as well it would have an even stronger case as an all-timer. Of course, the conversation for "what could have been" if various matches planned hadn't been scuppered by deaths, injuries, egos, people asking for too much money, people not being reached out to before being planned etc probably starts and finishes with Mania 22. WWF TITLE : John Cena VS Triple H WHC : Randy Orton VS Batista RvS : Kurt Angle VS The Undertaker RvS : Shawn Michaels VS Eddy Guerrero Steve Austin VS Hulk Hogan Bret Hart VS Vince McMahon Edge VS Mick Foley Rey Mysterio VS Booker T a Money In The Bank .... SHIT. Fair enough there's probably too many matches there that need bells and whistles but it shits on Shawn being wasted on Vince and Taker breaking his balls with Mark Henry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members CleetusVanDamme Posted July 11, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 11, 2023 And that card still could have only drawn 20,000 people, max! Them letting Hogan call out Austin on that anniversary Raw and then never broaching the subject ever again still baffles me. I know Austin had the falling out again not long after but I just can't picture that match actually happening. This is the same company that completely forgot about Undertaker Tombstoning Cena in 2009/10 though, so it happens. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonworden Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 10 hours ago, CleetusVanDamme said: And that card still could have only drawn 20,000 people, max! Them letting Hogan call out Austin on that anniversary Raw and then never broaching the subject ever again still baffles me. I know Austin had the falling out again not long after but I just can't picture that match actually happening. This is the same company that completely forgot about Undertaker Tombstoning Cena in 2009/10 though, so it happens.  Wasn't that Vince basically trying to force Austin's hand into the match in some bizarre way? Like in Vince's head Austin would do the match if the storyline just happened to start which seems ridiculous when you think about past incidents in 02 and 05 with him.  11 hours ago, CleetusVanDamme said: Batista/Umaga was one of my biggest letdowns. I was hyped and certain it was going to rule. I wasn't slightly excited for Lashley/Umaga the year before and it ended up being class. 24 ended up being a great (and varied) card anyway, but if it had pulled off the epic battle of the monsters as well it would have an even stronger case as an all-timer. Batista Umaga felt very much like Brock/ Ambrose in 2016 where one or both sides are just not fussed about doing the match so what we get is this lacklustre effort that's more card filler than worthy of the two competitors on the biggest show of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted July 12, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 12, 2023 16 hours ago, CleetusVanDamme said: Them letting Hogan call out Austin on that anniversary Raw and then never broaching the subject ever again still baffles me. I know Austin had the falling out again not long after but I just can't picture that match actually happening.  6 hours ago, simonworden said: Wasn't that Vince basically trying to force Austin's hand into the match in some bizarre way? Like in Vince's head Austin would do the match if the storyline just happened to start which seems ridiculous when you think about past incidents in 02 and 05 with him. There is more than one match involving part time or allegedly retired wrestlers over the years, including Austin, Hogan, Bret and Shawn, where Vince decided to start planning around the match and actively talking to the writers about it, before talking to the wrestler, and then he'd find out they weren't interested. The most famous example recently being trying to persuade HBK to wrestle AJ Styles at Mania 33 but by the time he actually talked to Shawn, he was of the opinion he didn't have enough time to get in good enough shape to do a match worthy of the hype. This could be another of these. What's interesting is how Austin really felt about wrestling Hogan at this particular point. JR has recently disclosed that in the not too distant past Steve didn't want to be in the ring with Hogan after seeing Judgment Day 2002 (it may have been loosely discussed for No Way Out 2003 when they knew both would be around) - he didn't want to "have the match that Taker had" with the Hulkster. And yet, by the time Mania 22 actually came around, Austin at least wanted to make everyone else think he was on board with the match because he mentioned having a "can of whoop-ass with Hulk Hogan's name on it" at the Hall Of Fame. So either he might have been willing to do the match, or he's just a massive prick tease. Incidentally, they weren't ever thinking Austin vs Hogan for Mania XIX. The preferred plan was getting Goldberg signed in time to promote and put on Rock vs Goldberg, with Austin vs HHH at last coming back round (which they started teasing on Raw) but when the paperwork wasn't done quite in time for Bill, they moved to Rock vs Austin and hoped Kevin Nash would be recovered in time for Hunter. Hogan was inserted straight away to work Vince, who up until then had got into his head that he'd fight Eric Bischoff to pay off all the aggro they'd been having over Bischoffs management of Raw and potential failure to get Austin back on board - which they blew off on Raw instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callum1993 Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/11/2023 at 2:37 PM, air_raid said: Big Show seems to think the original plan once negotiations had started with Mayweather and he'd been contacted to come back, was for a tag with Mayweather and himself as the heels against Batista & Rey as the faces, which was scuppered when Rey got injured beforehand. But prior to all the plans changing at various points, it's feasible, though they may not have bothered turning anyone, for the longest time they weren't bothered about face vs face.  I’ve read it and heard it mentioned on Bruce Prichard’s podcast that the original plan for Mayweather was to team him with Shane McMahon against Mysterio and Oscar De La Hoya at that Mania. Does seem as if plans changed a lot that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted July 12, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 12, 2023 32 minutes ago, Callum1993 said: I’ve read it and heard it mentioned on Bruce Prichard’s podcast that the original plan for Mayweather was to team him with Shane McMahon against Mysterio and Oscar De La Hoya at that Mania. Does seem as if plans changed a lot that year. Almost as much as Bruce changes his mind about what was/wasn't the plan over any given subject. Listen to enough STW and you'll wonder how the plan could simultaneously ALWAYS have been X and also changed last minute to suit Talent Y's agenda. About all I can tell you about the Mania 24 plans is what everyone already knows - that Jeff Hardy was told he'd be winning Money In The Bank, before he was done for Wellness violations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 Is the NJPW Riki Choshu Revival show from 2000 on NJPW World? I've somehow never seen that deathmatch where Onita gets totally destroyed by Riki and can't find the match anywhere for some reason, it was definitely shown on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Healys Chutney Spoon Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 I just read that Chris Jericho is approaching 200 PPV appearances, which is massive by anyone's stats, but who has the most?  Include TNA weekly if you like, but I'd be interested to know if anywhere keeps stats like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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