An e-book (Or a paperback book. Or both.) about wrestling. Say by someone who watches a lot of it. Even if it’s late, it’s the thought that counts.
I’ve got nearly thirty different subjects to pick from so there must be something you’ll like.
It’s that time of year again. Next week the Royal Rumble Count-Up will begin and that means I’ll be redoing the 2017 edition. As a bonus, you all can pick another for me to redo. You can pick any save for the following (which I’ve done recently):
1997
1999
2003
2015
2016
Vote in the comments below.
A comprehensive look back at every episode of WCW Monday Nitro and Thunder from July – December 1999. This is a rather bad time for WCW as everything is starting to fall apart due to a combination of horribly boring wrestling and some rather questionable booking choices. With the good old boys no longer doing the trick, the solution was to bring in the star of WWF Creative: Vince Russo, meaning it’s all downhill from there. In this book, every episode of both shows in the second half of 1999 is reviewed in full, complete with analysis, ratings and complete content included.
The book is available on Amazon both in a physical paperback for $10.99 or an e-book format for $2.99. In case you don’t have a Kindle, there are plenty of FREE apps you can get from Amazon for pretty much any electronic device, all of which are available at this link.
You can pick up the book from Amazon here.
Or if you’re in another country with its own Amazon page, just search “KB Nitro VI” and it should be the first thing to come up.
Also you can still get any of my previous books on the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, Monday Night Raw from 1997, 1998, 2001 and the first half of 2014, Monday Nitro from 1995-1998, In Your House, Summerslam, Starrcade, ECW Pay Per Views, Royal Rumble, Saturday Night’s Main Event, the WWF and WCW pay per views from 1998, Wrestlemania, WWE Grab Bag and Clash of the Champions at my author’s page here.
I hope you like it and shoot me any questions you might have.
KB
I recently filled in for a colleague of mine on a podcast with AB Morales, who you’ve probably heard me talk to before. THis was recorded on Tuesday as we hit some of the bigger stories of the week.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/wrestle-chat-podcast-hall-morales-episode-3/
As for me being a regular on a weekly podcast again…..keep your eyes open.
Source: Wikimedia
Date: May 12, 2006
Location: iPayOne Center, San Diego, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
Not every SmackDown episode gives us great wrestling. Some of them seem to be gap fillers or are written to tie together storylines, keep feuds going or promote future events. This episode seems to be one of those. The headline fights are kind of exciting, in theory, but they aren’t going to produce any classics that we will remember for years to come. Still, it’s worth a mention because this was a time that saw Rey Mysterio amid his time playing with the big guys for the world title.
The first match on the bill saw Super Crazy defeat Kid Kash and Nunzio to become the number one contender for the cruiserweight title, and though we don’t care much for the wrestlers or their stories, at least we got to see decent displays of wrestling. And it was more entertaining at least than the predictably boring tag team match between The Gymini and Joey Ryan and Tom Wellington, in which The Gymini produced the win.
In terms of wrestling, it was perhaps Bobby Lashley and Finlay who put on the most noteworthy display of the night with Lashley pinning out Finlay to eventually take his place in the King of the Ring Finals Match. It took him over 16 minutes to finish the job.
But let’s get into the grit of the episode. The source of the most dramatic scenes came from the latter matches, which both happened to involve complete mismatches. Mark Henry, the “world’s strongest man”, weighing over 400 lbs., faced muppet Jack Sparrow wannabe Paul Burchill in perhaps one of the year’s most ridiculous fights.
Mark Henry was due to fight Kurt Angle at Judgement Day in the near future and had an ongoing feud with Angle that involved badly interrupting his title match against Rey Mysterio and slamming him pretty hard through a table. This wasn’t really a fight at all for Henry but an opportunity for him (and the promoters) to feed the fire of his feud with Angle.
After swinging into the ring on a rope like a pirate, Burchill’s gimmicky costumes and entrances are given a solid reality check in the form of a massive clothesline to the face by Mark Henry, who then precedes to toss and kick Burchill around the ring and out of it. Within less than a minute, Burchill is limping around looking pretty sorry for himself. He gets back in the ring and the all-out assault continues with Henry throwing him and smashing him against turnbuckles and metal poles.
Henry takes a pause to talk some trash on the microphone, leaving Burchill on the floor crippled. He taunts Kurt Angle, saying “You see! Kurt Angle, you’re getting the same thing.” He then picks up Burchill to finish him with the world’s strongest body slam. Easy and talentless victory.
Next up is the headline match between The Great Khali Vs Rey Mysterio. It’s obvious even looking at their names that this is a serious mismatch as Mysterio stands at about half of the height and stature of Khali. But the mismatch is actually all part of an ongoing storyline.
Rey Mysterio had previously won the 2006 Royal Rumble, lasting a record 62 minutes and eliminating Randy Orton. He earned a title shot and eventually fought Orton and Angle in a Triple Threat match where he pinned Orton to become the “Underdog Champion” that we knew and loved. If there was any doubt about his ability, Mysterio successfully defended his title against Orton and then Angle in individual matches. JBL was next to face him and Mysterio had agreed to let JBL pick three wrestlers for him to face in non-title bouts in the run-up. JBL chose Mark Henry, The Great Khali and Kane, and this was the second of those matches.
Source: YouTube
Usually, Rey Mysterio is a joy to watch, and always gives an entertaining display of technical ability and Mexican moves. He is almost like the archetypal Mexican wrestler, renowned for his mask. So strong is this image, that it has appeared in games such as Guacamole! and as an avatar on the PokerStars Power Up game. But this time, Rey Mysterio was going to get crushed…badly!
There have been numerous storylines over the past three decades involving boxers who have established feuds with WWE superstars. It is always fascinating to see other sports stars enter wrestling, especially those who have big personalities. Here is a look back through the history books for the best three wrestler-boxer feuds in recent years.
Iron Mike Tyson – Stone Cold Steve Austin
Hoy es Wrestlemania 33: Mike Tyson levanta la mano a Stone Cold después de vencer a HBK en Wrestlemania 14 pic.twitter.com/2nr0z435wm
— The Daniel Gajardo (@callategajardo) April 2, 2017
Daniel el Gajardo via Twitter
Mike Tyson is one of greatest boxers of his generation and was known as the ‘baddest man on the planet.’ When he joined the WWE in early 1998 he did so to help promote Wrestlemania XIV where he was the special guest outside enforcer. Tyson, a former heavyweight world champion, was recruited by D Generation X and, as a result, he clashed on a number of occasions with Stone Cold. At Wrestlemania, Tyson and Steve Austin embraced each other at the end of the contest and even shared a beer together in the middle of the ring. Current WBC heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder from the USA will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Tyson and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He needs to get past Bermane Stiverne next up though where he is -2000 in the latest boxing odds for the bout. Once he finishes his boxing career, it would be no surprise to see Wilder in the WWE in the near future.
Butterbean – Marc Mero
Butterbean was a regular in the WWE in the late 90s but arguably is biggest feud was that with Marc Mero in which the pair met at D Generation X: In Your House. The wrestler was a former amateur boxing champion himself so he saw himself as being quite useful with a pair of boxing gloves. This battle was amusing due to the difference in size between the two men. Butterbean was much bigger than his opponent something which frustrated Mero. It was Butterbean who got the win by disqualification and he later went to seal a big victory over Bart Gunn at Brawl For All. It is hard to see Butterbean returning to the WWE as he is now 51 years old; however, never say never as he is a hugely popular character who would light up Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania.
Floyd Mayweather Jr – The Big Show
https://twitter.com/strawberrySoBae/status/901776916247662592
Sam.Bam via Twitter
If Butterbean thought he had a big size advantage over Marc Mero, it was nothing compared to how The Big Show stood like a giant over arguably the greatest pound for pound boxer the world has ever seen in Floyd Mayweather when the duo fought at Wrestlemania XXIV. ?The pair first clashed at No Way Out where Mayweather broke The Big Show’s nose with a single punch. The fight at Wrestlemania was under no disqualification rules and Mayweather took advantage of that as he used his entourage to distract The Big Show before hitting him with a pair of brass knuckles. Money looked to enjoy his time in the WWE and now he has retired from boxing following his victory over Conor McGregor to record his 50th win, we may see him appear at another big pay-per-view in 2018.
While there are sure to be many more boxer-wrestler feuds in the WWE, don’t rule out more UFC athletes switching across over the next couple of years either.
It’s that time of year again. As usual, I’ll be doing the Survivor Series Count-Up starting on November 20. I’ll be redoing two shows this year, including the 2016 edition and whichever you all vote on. 1996, 2002 and 2015 are ineligible as I’ve done them in the last year.
Vote in the comments.
The idea of a wrestling dynasty is one deeply ingrained into the WWE’s most ardent fans. Undeniably, dynasties such as the Hart Foundation, and the generations of Guerreros, Flairs and Anoa’is, have made professional wrestling the sports entertainment phenomenon it is today.
Admittedly, the likes of Kurt Angle and Dolph Ziggler are living evidence of the sort of advantage that only a pre-WWE wrestling background can provide. However, a lot of WWE legends past and present did not have the luxury of a wrestling origin. While many fans are already aware of the history behind such wrestlers, the way they have utilized their skills to improve the profile of the WWE.
A WWE Hall of Fame entrant, Mark William Callaway always wanted to be a basketball player growing up. A man of learning, the giant who would eventually become known as The Undertaker studied sports management at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, and represented the college Basketball side in the 1985/86 season. Save for an attire-based gimmick, there is nothing particularly concrete that can translate from the basketball court to the ring. Nonetheless, it is clear that The Undertaker, who played as a towering center for the Rams, had the taste for (appropriately) being the center of attention whenever possible.
The impact on WWE: His gloomy, death-themed, yet no less dramatic entrances were a great foil to the rowdier ones of his Golden Era counterparts, such as Hulk Hogan. In time, his differential persona would prove crucial to the WWE’s success.
WWE’s ‘World’s Strongest Man’, Mark Henry was an established name in powerlifting/weightlifting before he joined WWE. He was placed tenth overall in the super-heavyweight division at the 1992 Olympics. He then went on to win gold, silver and bronze in the 1995 Pan-Am Games. Despite being beset by injuries at various points in his career, Henry has had a 20-plus-year tenure with the WWE, having initially been signed on a $10 million ten-year deal. Despite now nearing the end of his days in active competition, the Texan stands among the favorites at +15000 to win the 2018 Royal Rumble, and could prove a prudent selection for a risk-free bet.
The impact on WWE: Although a character built on brute power and strength was always going to be his obvious WWE persona, his prowess within the federation undoubtedly inspired others that were all power at the cost of acrobatic athleticism.
Batista is well-known as one of the youngest superstars to rise to stardom in the WWE. However, before he became a successful WWE superstar, Batista had a difficult life. He was born in a relatively poor family and raised in poverty. To make ends meet, he initially worked as a bouncer before switching to a career in bodybuilding. He is notable for once stating that bodybuilding changed his life for the better, and to say it paid dividends would be an extreme understatement. A winner of WWE silverware, his debut came during the early days of the Raw Aggression era, and (as the name of the era suggests) Batista was able to translate his real-world experiences into the squared circle.
The impact on WWE: Though the expansion of the roster and allocations to Raw and Smackdown were always inevitable events, Batista’s arrival illustrated the importance of ensuring that both brands had a fair share of fiery all-rounders that could evolve the good work of the Attitude Era in a constructive way.
As was once said, the marquee says wrestling. While that’s always true, some wrestlers are more about the in-ring product than the others. For those wrestlers and fans of that style, the Intercontinental Title is one of the greatest gifts anyone could have ever asked for. It’s long been called the workers title as it has traditionally been more about the in-ring quality than the drama that follows the World Title. The championship has been around nearly forty years now and many of the best performers over that time have held the title.
Back in March 2016, I released the History of the Intercontinental Title e-book, but a lot of time and title changes have happened since then. Therefore, I’ve updated the book with seventeen new matches (two from the old days due to some updates on the WWE Network), polished things up and updated everything through the end of August 2017. The updated book is now available in paperback and still as an e-book.
The book contains over 420 Intercontinental Title matches dating from October 1979 thru August 2017 with every filmed title change and of course several title defenses ranging from pay per views to television to house shows to fan cam recordings you’ve probably never seen before. Each match is broken down with context, play by play and analysis.
It’s available from Amazon in full paperback form, runs 439 pages and is priced at $10.99. The book is available worldwide (only in English) from any country’s Amazon page. Here are the links for the US and UK versions:
Or just search “KB Intercontinental Title” on Amazon.
All of my e-books and paperbacks (26 titles combined) are available here:
https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6/
I hope you like it and please send me any questions you may have.
KB