#alberto del rio wins world heavyweight championship

[litafan4ever]

Was AJ Lee the figment of some Manga-geek’s adolescent imagination? She was an avid video gamer, regularly thumbing through comic books and wearing the scuffs on her Chuck Taylors with pride. But don’t be fooled. This unpredictable young woman was not as innocent as she looked. Although she stood a petite 5-foot-2, AJ was a fierce competitor with an energetic, high-flying style that posed a threat to any Diva. This bold New Jersey native first introduced herself to the WWE Universe on the third season of WWE NXT. She finished in third place but won many WWE fans with her lucha-inspired moveset and indomitable fighting spirit. A year after debuting on SmackDown in May 2011, AJ was pivotal in the 18-second outcome of the World Heavyweight Championship Match at WrestleMania XXVIII with a kiss to her beau, Daniel Bryan. The couple’s subsequent breakup sent AJ into an emotional tailspin, and she went on to become romantically entangled with WWE’s top Superstars, including CM Punk, Kane and even John Cena. Following a brief and controversial stint as Raw’s General Manager — a tenure marred by controversy due to her increasingly erratic behavior — AJ found herself in the arms of the brash Dolph Ziggler. Coincidentally enough, it was in the femme fatale’s home state that The Showoff cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Alberto Del Rio to become the World Heavyweight Champion just one night after WrestleMania 29. It wasn’t long before AJ claimed a championship of her own. After winning a No. 1 Contender’s Divas Battle Royal on Raw, AJ defeated former friend Kaitlyn to ensnare the Divas Title and would go on to hold that prize for a record-shattering 295 days until she was unseated by NXT Women’s Champion Paige the day after WrestleMania 30. It would be her first of three Divas Championships. Even though it was impossible to predict what AJ would do next, one thing remained a constant: She always kept us guessing.

AJ Lee - WWE.com

#AJ Lee #AJ Mendez #WWE #My Edits

[cavenewstimes]

Tyrus Recalls Santino Marella Nearly Winning The 2012 Elimination Chamber: There Wasn’t One Person Sitting

Tyrus recalls the deafening reaction to the moment Santino Marella nearly pinned Daniel Bryan to win the World Heavyweight Championship. In 2011, wrestling fans rose from their seats as Santino Marella reemerged into the ring during the final two of the WWE Men’s Royal Rumble match. Marella, who had previously slipped through the bottom rope, was never eliminated. So as Alberto Del Rio seemed to…

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[darkarfs]

my favorite WWE matches of 1997

Though I officially started watching wrestling in 1995 (my family famously first bought SummerSlam that year, which would be my first wrestling show ever, because it was $25.00. 1995 was a bad year for wrestling), I became a regular watcher of both WWE and WCW Raw and Nitro, and was able to buy my own PPVs, around summer of 1996, when Hogan turned. The first show I bought with my own money was In Your House: Buried Alive, though I kept up with weekly TV. And, for better or worse, I've been a fan ever since.

1997 was a REAL rollercoaster year for wrestling. The NWO was becoming a bloated mess in no time at all, Bret Hart was riding high, while he and Shawn Michaels publicly hated one another, a young Rocky Maivia was slowly transforming into the most charismatic wrestler of maybe all time, a young Steve Austin has broken his neck and can only work 5 minute matches but is somehow the most OVER wrestler in the company, and by the end of the year, the Screwjob happens, Bret's in WCW, Shawn's on handfuls of SOMAs (yet main-eventing). In a lot of ways, I'm grateful, because I side-stepped all of Hogan's WWF and WCW run. But it was a tornado of a year for a business always on precarious footing, as it ever has been.

And it gave us some CRACKING matches! - The 1997 Royal Rumble I love me a Rumble, and it's REALLY hard (but not impossible) to find a bad one (1993, 1995, 1999). And I personally love one with a storyline that runs throughout, and in this case, it's the ultimate heeling of Stone Cold Steve Austin. He visibly dominates the match until he hears Bret Hart's music, and then goes into panic mode. And it furthers the characterization of Bret's hand-spun narrative as being rightfully pissed that he's being taken advantage of by the roster, screwed by the company, and booed by the fans. Fun bonus: this is also the only Rumble appearance of lucha legend Mil Mascaras, who was so full of old-school carny spirit he famously refused to let anyone else eliminate him, so he eliminated himself, pissed Vince off, and was not spoken of again on WWE TV until the 2012 Hall of Fame ceremony, where he was inducted by his huge prick nephew, Alberto del Rio. - Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, WrestleMania 13 This match is considered legendary, and for good reason. The greatest technical wrestler in the company vs. the best brawler, months of build, the world's most iconic (and off-the-cuff) blade-job (so much so that the visual of Austin bleeding in the Sharpshooter going "DAAAHHHH!" became the cover for his first VHS) and the wrestling world's most exquisite double-turn. It's fun, it's thrilling, it feels at once timeless and modern. Fun fact: there's a fun version of this match you can watch with just Austin doing commentary over it, and it's entertaining as hell. A true classic, and one of the greatest 'Mania matches of all time. - Ken Shamrock vs. Vader, No Holds Barred match, In Your House: a Cold Day In Hell Vader, famously, while a big teddy bear and a for-all-accounts lovely guy outside of the ring, had a reputation of being a bit "snug" with other wrestlers. Meaning he hit a little too hard, had little self-control, and took liberties with people, especially rookies and younger guys. It's supposedly why Shawn Michaels didn't want to work a world title program with him from summer to fall of 1996, because he was "too rough." But what never occurred to Vader is that trying that with a guy who's had 2 matches but has almost 5 years of MMA experience might not be the smartest or most prudent idea. Shamrock gives Vader as much as Vader gives him in this match, and there are moments where you can tell the guys are going into business for themselves. There's a moment where Shamrock is clubbing Vader with punches, and you can hear Vader, as he's turtling up and putting his arms up to block, yell "SLOW DOWN!" and then he rolls out of the ring to catch a breather. Vader, by the end of this match, is bleeding through his mask, a product of a broken nose, which is why I assume he gives Shamrock the stiffest short-arm clothesline I've ever seen. It's brutal, it's stupid, it weaves in and out of the script SO many times like a drunk man trying to stand up straight on a canoe, and I'm fascinated by each and every instance. - Owen Hart vs. the British Bulldog, European Championship Tournament Finals, Monday Night Raw, March 3rd Somehow, a workrate classic is stuck on a rinky-dink episode of Raw from Berlin, Germany. Smith and Hart blended some of their acquired WWE-style of work with classic junior heavyweight wrestling, complete with intricate reversals and fast-paced offense that was unlike either man's designed ethos of the time. Hart's shift toward his underhanded instincts as the match wore on provided enough story to balance the beautiful grappling from two men with impressive resumes. You can feel that these two knew one another, grew up together, and most importantly, wrestled together. An honest-to-God sleeper hit, but everyone who knows this match calls it a classic. - Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, King of the Ring It's a concept that would be beaten into the ground in short order: Tag Team Champions that hate each other's guts. John Cena, seriously, has only been tag champions with people he's feuding with. That's

not even a joke. Austin and Michaels won the belts out of mutual dislike for the Hart Foundation, and then were programmed together for a wild match at the King of the Ring, one without a winner. Early on, the two actually pieced together a tremendous wrestling match full of nifty counters (prior to Austin changing his style after August for obvious reasons), before it degenerated into chaos after both men assaulted referees in the heat of the moment. Granted, neither man could really lose this one, so the screwy finish did serve its purpose. Until that point, it's a different type of incredible Austin match. You're never so happy to see a double-DQ finish. - Owen Hart & the British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels & Stone Cold Steve Austin, Monday Night Raw, May 26th And now we have a match set! The previous 4 participants in a brilliant and brutal tag team match. The Tag Team championship switch marked Austin's first piece of recognized gold in WWE, in a match on free television no less. That's not to insult the match any, as it was a pay-per-view quality fracas that barely slowed down. It is a mere 14 minutes long WITH entrances, but it moves at a clip, and everyone has their working boots on. It was a harbinger of days to come for this new period in WWE's history, and the crowd ate it up.

- Taka Michinoku vs. the Great Sasuke, In Your House: Canadian Stampede What happened here? Just when you think WCW had the cruiserweights cornered, WWE pulls this shit...and then kind of ignores it for a few months. But not before importing two of Michinoku Pro's finest to have a TakeOver-length exhibition. At first, the crowd in Calgary wasn't sure what to make of the undersized performers, but it wouldn't take long to win them over. From Michinoku's hands-free springboard dive to Sasuke's beautiful Thunder Fire Powerbomb, the expansive crowd was positively hooked on the daredevils with each passing minute. Although Sasuke wouldn't be long for the company, and Michinoku's run as Light Heavyweight Champion faded as 1998 wore on, the display at Canadian Stampede was a wondrous experience. This wouldn't have looked out of place in a Chikara King of Trios tournament. - The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Brian Pillman, the British Bulldog) vs. Team Austin (Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock and Goldust), In Your House: Canadian Stampede I would have put this match on the list for the entrances and the finish alone. The crowd is at fever static for the entire match, seriously at the level of Punk/Cena at MITB 2011. And even though the Harts are the heels, they're in Calgary, and they get rock-star level ovations for merely existing. Everyone plays it mad and delighted, and you can tell they're all having a ball. Especially Pillman, who is just magically unhinged, a template for a young Dean Ambrose during their feud with the Wyatt Family. It is a magical, unreal main event, one of the best B-ppv main events maybe of all time. Well...other than MAYBE... - Shawn Michaels vs. the Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, In Your House: Badd Blood The very first Hell in a Cell match may very well double as the greatest of its kind. What stands out to me (other than how the match ends) is just how GREAT Michaels' selling is. When he's running away, he's constantly looking around for an exit, like a scared rat. When he finally gets caught and struck, he sells almost to the level he did for Hogan at SummerSlam 2005. But while he was doing that to make Hogan's offense look stupid, he's doing it here to make Taker's offense and anger look legit, and it somehow WORKS. But as fabulous as the match and the psychology is, it somehow takes a backseat to the debut of the Undertaker's monstrous little brother Kane, finally confronting his older brother in perhaps the greatest character debut in WWE history. - Mankind vs. Kane, Survivor Series I dunno what it is about this match that does it for me. Mankind's emotional lead-up to the match, where he's sad that Uncle Paul (Bearer) left him. Maybe the fact that Kane sells like Michael Myers, not so much that he's in pain, but as if he's never been hit in the face with a steel chair, a DDT or a piledriver. Maybe it's because Mick takes more horrific bumps than he needs to to make sure Kane looks like a legit monster. Maybe it's the broken Virtua Boy lighting. But it's genuinely unlike any other Mankind, Kane or ANY match I've seen before or since. It's a perfect somehow sympathetic serial killer vs. bigger, scarier serial killer that feels nothing story in a wrestling match. I didn't even know you could DO that.

[emblem-333]

What-If The Rock Never Came Back?

The WWE after the unfortunate retirement of superstar, and champion Edge, was a baron wasteland shallow on talent. Arguably, a worse roster than the first couple of years post-Hulk Hogan in the mid-1990’s. Where at least then creative was willing to take risks and search for new guys to be that top Babyface, WWE didn’t feel the need to do that and instead relied heavily on John Cena and Randy Orton, and called in favors whenever they felt it necessary.

Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Triple H, The Undertaker dragged out of retirement with mixed results. Though Jericho was successful, the company pushed their chips in the middle of the table for the pasty Irishmen Shaemus. A wrestler who makes Roman Reigns look awesome in comparison. To put it bluntly, Shaemus was disgusting.

This era seemed all too hapless. Alberto Del Rio, a decent heel, talented wrestler won the Royal Rumble and faced the champion Edge in the third match on the WrestleMania card. Before 2006, winning the rumble meant you would main event WrestleMania. But, like all things, corporate meddling ruins a perfectly good thing for no good reason. If Vince McMahon doesn’t believe Del Rio to be main event material, then put somebody else over at the event. Nobody overthinks and under-thinks likes the WWE.

If there’s one thing WWE did right it was how they told the three-year story of John Cena and his feud with returning superstar The Rock. Starting off at WrestleMania 27, Cena gunning for The Miz’ WWE Championship. Though creative did allow Rock to bury both Miz and Cena, it is an otherwise small blemish on a well told, large scale story.

Miz deserves credit for getting himself over. His name is stupid. He has a very punchable face. His brash, egotistical demeanor built him up to status of champion. His fame from the Reality TV show MTV’s The Real World: Back to New York shotgunned him to stardom. He started appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s show and for the first time in a while WWE had an organic star. Cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Randy Orton on a November 22nd episode of Raw after Orton defended against Wade Barrett.

Heading into ‘Mania, Miz was 133 days into what’ll end up as a 160 day title reign. Rock overseeing the festivities foreshadowed the larger tale in its beginning stages. The Miz retained twice that night. Once on a count-out, the other when Rock intervened and Rock Bottomed Cena from behind. The Miz left still the champion. But with Rock standing above his lifeless body after taking a devastating Spinebuster, followed by a People’s Elbow, the Miz’ push was effectively over as we transitioned wholly into the Rock-Cena feud.

Outside of The Miz, WWE didn’t really bulldoze anyone while building to their “Once in a lifetime” fantasy match. In fact, someone else rose to prominence during all of this. C.M Punk. The C.M stands for many things. Chick Magnet. Chicago Made. Punk dallied around in the second tier of WWE contending for the World Heavyweight Championship strap. Gaining wins over the likes of The Undertaker, Jeff and Matt Hardy, and Batista.

His intel gimmick was promoting his “Straight Edge” persona. Normally an Atheist, Punk portrayed himself as a cult leader absolving troublemakers of their sins. Wrapped around his fists is tape with big X’s on each hand. This is what club bouncers would do to underaged club attendants to notify bartenders not to drink. On his knuckles “Drug” and “Free” are tattooed. Punk lived this gimmick and cranked it up to 11.

Eventually, Punk’s gimmick ran out of steam and he was forced to go back to the drawing board. With his contract set to expire after 2011’s Money in the Bank, Punk was set to square up against champion Cena. In effort to juxtapose himself with the usually straight laced Cena, Punk decided to incorporate his real-life frustrations with WWE’s creative into a promo one night on Raw. Promising to take the belt with him out of the WWE showing no intentions of re-signing. Punk mentioned that Hulk Hogan, Rock, and Cena was good for was kissing Vince McMahon’s ass. He derided the fans for their superficiality. Harangued the McMahon Family for their stupidity. Punk wasn’t just an average run of the mill heel to be beaten. Punk portrayed himself as someone with a purpose.

How this was all packaged felt so unnatural fans actually believed Punk was leaving the WWE whether he won or lost. That even if he did win, he’d just leave as champion. With special guest referee Triple H watching, Punk defeated Cena (though Cena clearly had his foot on the ropes rendering the pin nullified, HHH didn’t see it) and absconded with the belt never to return...

He’d be back in eight days.

The new champion was fan favorite Rey Mysterio. A 5-foot, 6 inch Mexican luchador. His only main title was his brief reign as World Heavyweight Champion years ago. Just as fast Rey rose to the top he found himself in the mid card. Still, after defeating a lukewarm The Miz in a meh match the crowd become unglued. Their masked hero was given the push he deserved. Though it wasn’t on the grandest of stages it didn’t matter.

In less than an hour Cena would take the belt back from Rey.

One word: Bastards.

Why act like you’re giving the fans something they desperately wanted only to take it away so fast? Having Rey as champion meant nothing. He didn’t even hold it for a week.

Anyways, Cena is champion only to again fall to Punk at a match for Summerslam. Within minutes, Money in the Bank winner Del Rio would cash-in his briefcase and win the belt for himself. Del Rio was in the tournament Mysterio won for Punk’s vacant belt. He lost to Kofi Kingston in the first round. I understand why you can’t have a heel vs heel match for the championship, but of all the people to get one over on the conniving Punk why does it have to be the uninspiring Del Rio?

This was basically done to get Cena out of the title picture so he could let Rock go over at ‘Mania. Why does Rock need to win at ‘Mania you ask? Because we need a reason to do this again the next year. Why do we need to this same match again next year? Because fuck you.

Punk entered WrestleMania the champ, winning the strap back from Del Rio at Survivor Series. Punk would go on to hold the belt for 442. A returning Chris Jericho came in second in the Royal Rumble and earned himself a title shot, losing by submission. This was the highest profile win for Punk during his long reign.

Punk’s title reign came to an end at the hands of The Rock at the Royal Rumble to set up a rematch with Cena. While the first Cena-Rock match did gangbusters at the box office was well received critically, the second incarnation fell flat. We can’t really blame WWE for chasing the cash. That’s their prerogative as a corporation.

But say we lived in a perfect world? What-if Rock simply never came back?

Well, WrestleMania 27 goes down as perhaps the biggest disaster in the companies history since WrestleMania 9. That card was severely lacking in star power which is exactly why The Rock was needed to host. The top heel going into the event was a mysterious G.M who only made their presence known via email from a laptop next to the announce table.

WrestleMania 28, Cena likely goes into the PPV the challenger to face the champion Punk. Royal Rumble winner Shaemus (yuck) sadly beats World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds.

The biggest loser is Jericho. Given absolutely nothing to do, despite being incredibly talented and superior to Shaemus. In our timeline, Jericho earned his title shot by winning a Ten Man Battle Royal on Raw. That definitely doesn’t happen. WWE was pushing Shaemus HARD. In my perfect world, Jericho and Bryan have a show higher up on the card with the young heel Bryan going over.

But, as we’ve previously established. The WWE run by a bunch of talentless, thoughtless bastards who wage constant war with the people they are supposed to try and get money from.

For my preferred scenario, Bryan going over even with the secondary belt probably placates his rapid fans for at least a few more years.

Cena likely goes over Punk clean as a whistle after losing (via shenanigans) twice before.

From simply making The Rock disappear we’ve cost the WWE millions, elevated Bryan, and destroyed Punk’s illustrious lengthy title reign.

The second year of this scenario, instead of a “Worst Year of Cena’s Life” shtick, perhaps we’re treated to his best year. He main events every PPV, successfully defends his title beating back various heels. Cena’s title reign is unspectacular outside of the walls of WWE.

Okay, on second thought... Punk retains. He retains versus Cena, Jericho, Kane, Ryback, Orton, simply runs through the roster. At the Royal Rumble with no Rock to push Punk down a peg he retains heading into WrestleMania 29. The only hurdle he hasn’t overcome is The Undertaker and his WrestleMania Streak of 20-0.

Does Punk end The Streak? Should he? Oh, hell no! Punk probably had one foot out the door by then for a multitude of understandable reasons. Regardless, the money in this universe is pitting Streak vs Streak.

Our good friend Daniel, his reign eventually ends, but he isn’t shuffled so far down the card so his epic, long-standing push culminating in his crowning achievement in WrestleMania 30 is pushed back a year or two. Maybe in WrestleMania 31 it’s Bryan in Seth Rollins place cashing in his MITB briefcase mid-match to steal the World Heavyweight Championship from under Brock Lesnar and Roman Reign’s noses.

[lostinyourears]

CMLL Gran Prix Hype Train #1 : 2008′s 16 man Torneo Cibernetico

This series might not get many editions since the next CMLL International Gran Prix is September 1st. I felt like highlighting some old Lucha Libre and after the historic Mask vs Mask match at Triplemania featuring Dr. Wagner Jr. I also wanted to see some of his older work. 

So, what’s Torneo Cibernetico? Well, this team variation is basically like Survivor Series. 8 Men on team Mexico will take on 8 men from around the globe. Sometimes Japanese, Sometimes TNA, recently NJPW/RoH. They also have some non native CMLL talents like Marco Corleone or Johnny Idol who will fill the ranks of team international.

The match is Lucha Libre tag, since so many people are in the match  they normally stay standing at ringside. When one man from any team leaves the ring, someone from his same team can come in. No tags are made, instead you just leave the ring. Once pinned or submitted that person leaves until only one man/team is standing.  

Team International/TNA(2008)

Alex Koslov - a great talent who got his start in CMLL from 2006-2008, he recently retired from wrestling in 2015 after having a pretty good run in NJPW’s Junior division. 

Sonjay Dutt - At the time Sonjay was feuding on again off again with Lethal in the X Division. He briefly left TNA, but is now back with them and is currently their X Division Champion. 

A.J. Styles - You probably know AJ Styles. At this time in his career he had been NWA Heavyweight Champion 3 times, Inaugural X Division Champion and held the belt 5 times more between 2002-2006, though had not captured the TNA Heavyweight title or the TV/Legends Title which was created in 2008. 

Jay Lethal - Lethal had been in RoH before in 2006 he jumped to TNA to chase the X Division title. 2008 was at the tail end of his Black Machismo period where his gimmick was basically Macho Man. 

Marco Corleone - Mark Jindrak from the states, in 2006 he made his debut in CMLL and worked there for a while before leaving for AAA for a few years before coming back to CMLL. He is the only person from 2008′s Team International to also be on 2017′s team. 

Chris Sabin - Another TNA X Division champion, Sabin had held it 4 times by 2008 and is one of TNA’s most decorated talents, later in his career winning the TNA Heavyweight Title. 

Alex Shelley - Tag team partner with Sabin together known as Motorcity Machine Guns. Alex was just on the cusp of breaking out in 2009 he would become TNA X Division Champion for the only time and IWGP Jr Tag Champs with Sabin. 

Johnny Devine - Probably the most forgotten name on this list. Devine only had one title in his TNA tenure, the X Division Champion which he held a brief 20 days earlier in the year before dropping it to Lethal. 

Team Mexico/CMLL(2008)

Averno - In 2001 El Satanico used his powers of evil to turn tecnico  Rencor Latino into Averno. Satanico used Averno as a minion to help him fight Rey Bucanero  and Ultimo Guerrero who had turned on him. Averno was tag champion earlier in the year having beat Ultimo/Atlantis, though he lost it pretty quickly to Mistico/Garza. So Averno wasn’t exactly buddies with those two. Later in the year Averno would become double middleweight champion and was pretty big in CMLL Kayfabe at the time. 

Hector Garza - Was current tag champions with Mistico and the two were very well liked by the crowds of Mexico. Hector Garza was a very popular wrestler who sadly passed away at the young age of 43 of Lung Cancer in 2013. He was  Mexican National Heavyweight Championship and so beloved that the belt was retired rather than striped from him, as per the boxing/lucha libre commission of Mexico’s orders... who are the ones who control the Mexican National titles.

Ultimo Guerrero - Ultimo Guerrero was still teaming with a rudo Atlantis. The two being for the most part the strongest rudo faction in CMLL for a few years as  Los Guerreros de la Atlantida. Ultimo Guerrero was the hottest guy on the team this year. He had been the winner and sole survivor of the 2006/2007 edition of this event and his team won the TNA X World Cup, with Volador Jr. being the won that won the event for Team Mexico. 

Shocker - Shocker returned to CMLL in 2007 after leaving the company for a few years to work in TNA/AAA. He came back in 2007 to some fanfare, but CMLL were never as hot on him again his biggest days in the company being in the early 2000′s he still works in CMLL, but is not on Team Mexico this year. 

Dr. Wagner Jr. - The reason I wanted to look at this particular Gran Prix. Wagner Jr. was no stranger to Gran Prix matches. In fact in 2003 he won for Team Mexico over Team Japan. Beating the last man on Team Japan, Ultimo Dragon with his patented Wagner Driver. 

Dos Caras Jr.(Alberto Patron/Del Rio) - Alberto Del Rio got his start in AAA, went to Japan for a few years in until 2005 when he would join CMLL. He was then signed by WWE 2009, went to FCW and debuted as Alberto Del Rio. 

Rey Bucanero - Most famously tag team champions with Ultimo Guerrero for the most combined days ever at this point, still hold that record, but current champs Negro Casas and Shocker are only 20 or so days away. Rey Bucanero won Leyenda de Azul... a yearly CMLL secondary tournament.

Volador Jr. - Was a young masked kid having debutted in 2001, but having not done much those first few years. He was Mexican National Trios Champion, but those belts aren’t as prestigious as the CMLL belts. He won TNA’s World Cup for team Mexico, which was one of the first big wins for the upcoming talent. He would of course later be in the monumental 80th CMLL match vs La Sombra years after this. 

I’m not going to say what they are all wearing because the video does a good job of telling you peoples names as they are eliminated in text. Really nice formatting CMLL in 2008! 

How’s the match?

Great! Genuinely great, I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t have some fun with this match. It’s a great look back at wrestling about a decade ago. Starring many talents who only grew greater as the years passed. Really, only Johnny Devine disappeared from the wrestling scene, and I suppose Kozlov who seems retired at the time of this writing. While guys like AJ Styles would be a defining wrestler of the next decade. As were guys like Ultimo and Volador Jr. 

This might be one of the best performances and most high profile for Sabin and Shelley who really take it to Dr. Wagner Jr. on a big CMLL show. They were great in the later half of this match. It’s also nice to see a young AJ Styles the Styles Clash he delivers in this match is one of the better highlights. 

Because this event’s importance it means pretty much anyone could win. I don’t think CMLL always wants Mexico to win because it would become predictable. Last year Mexico won, will they go 2 for 2 in the revival of this event? 2016 being the first time since this one in 2008. I’m glad it’s back because if this year's is half as fun as this one, it’ll be great! Seeing Motorcity Machineguns here and their use of superkicks has me really jonesing for Young Bucks in Gran Prix some year, though I’m pretty happy getting Juice and Elgin too. 

If you liked this match, this year's format is exactly the same. 8 vs 8 elimination Team Mexico vs Team International. It’s an iPPV on the first and can be bought in a bundle with CMLL Anniversary for $20. I’d really suggest 2008′s and have made a playlist here with all 5 parts of the youtube source I used for to make these gifs which was uploaded by the fittingly named lawagnermania youtube channel

Wagner/AJ Styles/Jay Lethal are great in the early half of the match, I like Ultimo though and he lasted for most of the match. Seeing MCMG double teaming fools has to be one of the best takeaways from this match. The two worked great as a team and really pulled out all stops vs Shocker/Wagner/Ultimo. 

Highlights : 

#CMLL #CMLL International Gran Prix #Dr. Wagner Jr. #Ultimo Guerrero #Volador Jr. #Dos Caras Jr. #Alberto Del Rio #Shocker #Rey Bucanero #Hector Garza #Averno #Alex Koslov #Chris Sabin #Alex Shelley #Johnny Devine #Marco Corleone #AJ Styles #Jay Lethal #Sonjay Dutt

[ripemsystem]

#MeToo and the Disgruntled's Real World Champ Part 4

Damn, it has been a tough week. Joe Madden may have over thought the Cubs last two games. "Venom" is a so bad it is good movie which leads me to fear the fate of the Sony franchises. I seem to be getting ahead of my blogs by one week, hence I may be working too much.

And then you have the all but certain demise of the country with the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation. How do you tell a happily married man who takes you to sporting event and respects his Nike-boycotting wife that there is no way I want to stand for a flag that represents a dead country. But I respect the man, so I should not embarrass him despite his wife has said that we cannot fault powerful men for abusing their power, unless they were communist revolutionaries.

I never got away with anything growing up. Being too honest has plagued me. Striving for decency deters me from a negative path. The point is, if I screwed up, I paid, and have always paid. If we have learned anything from the Me Too Movement, is that everybody should answer for their indiscretions. It is not vengeance, it is a means to encourage protecting those whose safety is the target of those in power.

Thus, I am pondering if I should make this rant relevant to the current theme of the blog by exploring the incidents of sexual assault and harassment that I have experienced from my time in professional wrestling. You could call it hazing bullshit, but the fact of the matter is if I broke these guys faces, I risked never being booked again by that promotion. What really hurts is that the promotion never used me again. To their credit, I was booked and wisely ended up being a healthy scratch on my last trip to Southern Wisconsin for a last minute appearance by Silas Young, so at least the promotion remembered me.

It was 14 years ago. I was victimized. You cannot hold it against me if I was bumped from the card for someone less prestigious that The Last Real Man in Professional Wrestling (do not hold the gimmick against him). The culprits and facilitators are remembered, especially those who boasted about it. The stories were something I laughed off with the guys in the business like it was just a permanent marker stunt on my face, but when normal people ask for crazy and obscene stories from the business, you realize that the ones that come to immediate mind demonstrate behavior that is not acceptable. You realize that you were abused and you feel you can only blame yourself since you still want to be a part of the business. You cannot blame the sport.

But, these guys (for the most part) are friends and a couple of them have kids. There is a slim chance their life could be ruined since I am already wrestling's persona non grata south of I-80. Why be afraid of going national? Should I wait till I hear about their next job opportunity? I have not killed their present, but why do I feel like I have paid for their constant happiness I have perceived?

I suppose I should just be happy not having post traumatic stress in regards to this issue, or am I just now showing that I suffer from these stunts? Time does not heel all wounds. If this would have been realized when I was in therapy in regards to abusive relationships and and failing to prevent a gas station suicide, perhaps the Supreme Court fulfilling the wills of sex offenders for the next 20 years would not leave me considering snuffing myself (I really needed a better therapist, so probably not).

Hopefully, Ronan Farrow gets wind of this blog and helps me decide if I will name names. Provided that we get over the mess of me being a Woody Allen apologist of course. Time wears away, it does not heal. So I guess the moral is not to wound in the first place.

With that said, I would like to apologize to "Lauren" at Big Al's in Peoria (2015) if I was too handsy to begin with. It was me testing boundaries, and regardless if I stopped when told, I did wrong to begin with.

I gotta at least answer for my indiscretions, before I get this blog back on track. If only I could hold off on the posting till WWE's Evolution for the sake of cultural relevance. But, releasing this a week later may be too much time from when I wrote this.

Anyhow this blog has all the stuff marks want in bold, so the intro and transition do not matter to anyone besides me I suppose. More reason to try and be brave about abuse and the regret that people may have givien a shit about me if my struggles were more relatable than just being in my head.

Pardon the dark tone. It makes me hope a lot of the visitors just paged down to The Disgruntled's Real World Champion content.

66th Real World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champion John Cena (2) - 5/11/2001 to 7/17/11

Edge had forfeited the Big Gold Belt due to a career-ending injury. Christian and Randy Orton's battle for that belt was full of stipulations and swaps to please the fans who thought it was ridiculous for Christian to only have a two-day reign after succeeding the man he broke in to the business with.

Davey Richards aloofness toward Ring of Honor and wrestling in general always left a bad taste in mouth, and until Kevin Steen came into the title picture, his challengers, like him, lacked personality to match their in ring talent. If you thing that in ring ability trumps personality, then you would be ignoring the wrestler of the summer.

67th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ CM Punk (1) - 7/17/11 to 8/14/11

68th World Heavyweight Champion - NWA's Adam Pearce - 8/14/11 to 4/8/2012

Before "All In" there was "Seven Levels of Hate," the story of two wrestlers (Pearce and Colt Cabana) wanting to do right by the business. That has never been WWE's prerogative. Fearing a drop in ratings, WWE had Alberto Del Rio cash in Money in the Bank on Punk so that he could drop the belt to Cena. Realizing it did nothing for the long term, Cena would drop the belt back to Del Rio. Del Rio would then drop the belt to Punk and avoid making THEIR star look bad by losing to his rival thrice.

69th World Heavyweight Champion - NWA's Colt Cabana - 4/8/12 to 7/21/12

70th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ CM Punk (2) - 7/21/12 to 1/27/2013

It is tempting to give the belt to ROH's Kevin Steen since he was the headliner during Richard's reign without even wrestling. Him winning the title proved his importance to the business. But, WWE has gone out of their way to make us forget the 434-day reign of the predecessor to Steen. In the end, NWA fell from relevance not committing to Pearce and Cabana efforts to elevate their title. WWE chose stock over substance having Punk drop the title to a part-timer in the Rock.

71st World Heavyweight Champion - ROH's Kevin Steen - 1/27/13 to 4/5/13

Just because WWE chose their stock, does not mean I have to.

72nd World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ The Rock (5) - 4/5/13 to 4/7/13

And then indie wrestling shoots itself in the foot. Jay Briscoe had the resume to be ROH Champion, but in what were progressive times, he was not meant for the REAL champ title. This reign brought us the personalized world title belt featuring Confederate battle flags. The injury that ended his reign may have been legitimate (Wikipedia says no), but I think his babyfaced character's pro-gun, anti-marriage equality tweet during his championship was the reason his reign did not make the two-month mark.

73rd World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ John Cena (3) - 4/7/13 to 8/13/13

74th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ Daniel Bryan (2) - 8/13/13

75th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Alberto Del Rio - 8/13/13 to 10/27/13

Randy Orton had cashed in Money it the Bank to start the "brilliant" storyline for Daniel Bryan's Wrestlemania moment. I still believe this narrative was not going to happen until Punk left and the Bootista backlash occurred. Alberto Del Rio's reigns with the Big Gold Belt had everything. He beat the Big Show as a babyface. The break in his reign was a raw deal with a Money in the Bank cash in, so he became a vengeful heel to regain it.

76th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ John Cena (4) - 10/27/13 to 12/15/13

The original formatting of this blog post actually allowed me to conclude this list. But with the title and the downer nature of the intro, I think it is best to conclude this with my next post. This blog's title may get more eyes on it, and the feedback to make the post more fun. Or more insightful if the focus will be on the intro. If I want to get the most out of my writing, gotta make it so it encourages more.

[fromtheringapron]

WWE SummerSlam 2013

Date: August 18, 2013

Location: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California

Attendance: 17,739

Commentary: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Jerry Lawler. 

Results:

1. Ring of Fire Match: Bray Wyatt (with Harper & Rowan) defeated Kane. 

2. Cody Rhodes defeated Damien Sandow. 

3. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Alberto Del Rio (champion) defeated Christian. 

4. Natalya (with Cameron and Naomi) defeated Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella and Eva Marie). 

5. No Disqualification Match: Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated CM Punk.

6. Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn defeated Big E. Langston and A.J. Lee. 

7. WWE Championship Match: Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena (champion) to win the title. Triple H was the special guest referee. 

8. Money in the Bank Cash-In WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton defeated Daniel Bryan (champion) to win the title. Triple H was the special guest referee. 

Analysis

SummerSlam 2013 is pretty damn good. I can’t really think of a more antiquated way to describe it other than that. WWE totally nailed it on this night. The average SummerSlam is lucky to have that one colossal showdown that delivers big time, but here’s the rare show that delivers two of them ⎯ the electric Punk vs. Lesnar and Cena vs. Bryan. Each have their own compelling story to tell, each showcase the men involved at their best, and each end with a result that gives us something to nibble on.

Punk/Lesnar will go down as one of the best matches in the history of the event. By positioning Punk as the scrappy underdog, Lesnar as the ultimate destroyer, and Paul Heyman as the sniveling coward who is always moments away from interfering, it creates a dynamic that’s ridiculously entertaining. It’s David vs. Goliath for sure, except that David really takes it to Goliath here until outside distractions lead to his downfall. While it’s certainly a highlight of Lesnar’s WWE career, it should perhaps be more remembered as the last truly great moment of Punk’s, who’ll walk out of the company a few months later in tumultuous fashion.

As for the other major match on this show, it’s impossible to watch Cena/Bryan now without thinking of how it shapes Bryan’s eventual journey to the main event of WrestleMania XXX. Of course, it’s a little depressing to watch the twist ending knowing that Bryan main eventing WrestleMania was never the original plan, leaving him forever vanquished and fated to the mid-card for the remainder of his days. But with the benefit of hindsight? It’s at least a great way to start the story that eventually unfolded.

As for the show as a whole, I just really like how it meshes together. Some shows make mistake of having one big match after another, leaving little room for fans to take a breather. Here, however, all the marquee matches are separated by filler matches, which serve as light entertainment that keep the action going without having to deliver any high drama. Imagine if Cena/Bryan went right after Punk/Lesnar, with no mixed tag match in between. That would’ve worn anyone out and diminished the impact of the WWE title match, so it’s to the show’s benefit that problem is avoided altogether.

I hate to drop a corny-as-fuck seasonal reference, but watching this show really does feel like consuming a glass of summertime sangria⎯light, refreshing, and before you know it, it’s got you buzzed. If only every SummerSlam felt that way.  

My Random Notes

Between Cody Rhodes’ mustache and Daniel Bryan’s beard, I swear it’s become a thing in the 2010s to have your entire personality defined by your facial hair.

As with any 2013 WWE show, we’re graced by the Miz as a bland, shapeless babyface, who seems to be met with complete apathy by everyone. It’s a miracle he later recovered. He looks good in a tux, I’ll give him that much.

Hey, remember during those few months in 2013 when Fandango was the most over person on the roster? Strange world.

And also remember in 2013 when Dolph Ziggler still seemed kinda cool? I know, right?

And, holy shit, I checked the pre-show results, and remember in 2013 when RVD was on the roster at the some point? Wow.

Shoutout to Brandon Hendrix, who I can only assume disappeared from the face of the earth immediately after this show, leaving only a trail of Dorito crumbs in his wake.

I know opinions on the WWE commentary scene circa 2018 vary wildly, but thank the fuck we no longer have to suffer through the Cole/JBL/Lawler triumvirate of annoying. Give me Corey Graves and Byron Saxton any day.

On the Ring of Fire match: Such a weird debut match for Bray Wyatt, whose character has taken several weird turns in the years since. Would it have killed them to give him a few squash matches beforehand? A wrestler’s debut match should give you a feel for their character, and that’s a little hard to do here because it’s essentially Kane’s match. Also, an inferno match doesn’t really work in the PG era, as you can’t really light anyone on fire in front of the kids. The fire just becomes a neat visual and nothing more.

This show is set at the beginning of the Total Divas era, which is definitely still a thing now, but at the time manifested into a lot of pointless storylines that would quickly dissolve into nothing. I mean, what the hell was even the issue between Natalya and the Bella twins here?

#summerslam #daniel bryan #john cena

[wrestlingcultur-blog]

13 Years History of Money in the Bank

The creation of the fight for the Money in The Bank case goes back to 2005, being designed by Chris Jericho and consolidated by Erick Bischoff in the same year. The debut of this fight took place in WrestleMania 21. the inaugural participants were Christian, Kane, Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Edge and Jericho, the match lasted 15:17 minutes, resulting in the winner "The Rated-R Superstar"(Edge). The fight remained in "the showcase of the immortals" for six editions resulting from winners Edge (2005), RVD (2006), Mr. Kennedy (2007), CM Punk (2008 and 2009) and Jack Swagger (2010), the latter was the conclusive winner in the editions held at WrestleMania. After five years of testing, WWE saw great expectations but above all gains turning this magnificent fight into a PPV event. Money in The Bank PPV was held on July 18, 2010, celebrated after just over 100 days since its last edition at WrestleMania. As a private event, thirteen suitcases have been disputed so far, highlighting 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions in which two suitcases were in play, one per brand. On the part of Raw, they were winners: The Miz (2010), Alberto del Rio (2011), John Cena (2012) and Randy Orton (2013). While the blue brand winners were: Kane (2010), Daniel Bryan (2011), Dolph Ziggler (2012) and Damien Sandow (2013). As of the 2014 contest only one briefcase was held, resulting in winners Seth Rollins (2014), Sheamus (2015), Dean Ambrose (2016) and Baron Corbin (2017). It should be noted that in the 2017 edition, the debut of the first ever Women's Money in The Bank was made, resulting in the winner Carmella. Kane is the fighter with more participation in Money in the Bank history (6). The fight that more participants have had is the edition of WrestleMania 26 with ten participants. On the other hand, the least number of participants was the edition of Money in The Bank 2012 (Raw) and Money in The Bank Femenil, with only five. The fastest trade in history was Kane who swapped it on the same night defeating Rey Mysterio and winning the World Heavyweight Championship. Meanwhile, the longest trade was the Edge making it effective 280 days later against John Cena in the New Years Revolution event and become WWE Champion. The longest fight was the edition of the Money in The Bank men's 2017 with 29:50 minutes. On the other hand, the contest held at WrestleMania 22 was the shortest time with a duration of 12:21 minutes. The target of the exchange of the Briefcase was the World Heavyweight Championship managing to change hands six times, five of them consecutively (2007-2010). The failed exchanges have been four times, Mr. Kennedy which lost his briefcase in the Raw of May 7, 2007, against Edge. John Cena in the 1000th episode of Raw, Damien Sandow in the Raw of October 20, 2013, and Baron Corbin in the SmackDown live on August 15, 2017. Finally, Rob Van Dam is the only fighter to exchange the briefcase for a head-to-head chance to emerge victoriously this happening at ECW One Night Stand 2006, beating John Cena and winning the WWE Championship. Read the full article

[placetobenation]

With such a large history to play with, discovering the beauty of Bob Backlund’s charisma or the connection of Bruno Sammartino to the MSG crowd was a new development throughout this project similar to rewatching The Godfather and On the Waterfront to rediscover the genius of Marlon Brando. WWE may not have always been YOUR promotion but for the better part of 50 years, it was THE promotion in the United States and transformed the pro wrestling landscape. This project serves to praise the individuals that best helped shape the vision of Vince McMahon Sr. and Jr. Place to be Nation is proud to present to you a ranking of the Greatest WWE Wrestlers Ever.

– Chad Campbell

Note: Results of this list are based on 118 ballots received between May and December 2017. Voters were asked to submit their list of the 100 Greatest WWE Wrestlers of all time and consider only their WWWF/WWF/WWE career. Ties were broken based on 1) number of ballots a wrestler appeared on and 2) high vote. 

Every wrestler who received at least one vote will be recognized in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned to Place to Be Nation as we reveal all of the honorable mentions right through the cream of the crop. Read the other installments, both written and audio, of this project here.

24. Edge Total Points: 7,775 Total Ballots: 111 Average Rank: 31 High Vote: 9 Low Vote: 94 High Voter: Jason Fastkade

Nuance: Edge debuted in 1998 and lasted with the company until 2011, with some time missed due to injury, but he more than checks the box for longevity. He’s also shown great flexibility, as he’s been both a heel and a face and worked as a singles star as well as half of one of the best tag teams of his time with Christian. He also had notable tag teams with Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Hulk Hogan.

Jump Up Moments: He debuted at SummerSlam 1998 as Sable’s mystery partner, but quickly joined the Brood and formed a tag team with his “brother” Christian. He and Christian had a great three-way feud with the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz, including ladder and TLC matches at WrestleMania 2000, SummerSlam 2000 and WrestleMania X7. Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring, and unified the Intercontinental and US titles at Survivor Series 2001. He had a hot feud with Kurt Angle in 2002, resulting in Edge shaving Angle’s head. He would later win the World Tag Team Championship with Hulk Hogan, before teaming with Mysterio and having great matches as part of the famed SmackDown Six. That run included one of the best tag matches in company history against Angle and Chris Benoit at No Mercy 2002. He won the inaugural Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 21 and cashed in his briefcase at New Year’s Revolution 2006, winning his first WWE Championship. Prior to his cash in, Edge feuded with Matt Hardy in a strong feud with real-life heat. His hardcore match with Mick Foley at WrestleMania 22 was a great match and they then teamed up alongside Lita to have a very memorable three-way at One Night Stand 2006. His feud with Cena continued throughout 2006 including a great TLC match at Unforgiven. He would then form a team with Randy Orton as Rated RKO and feud with D-Generation X. The Rated-R Superstar then defeated Mr. Kennedy for his MITB briefcase and cashed it in on the Undertaker, winning the World Heavyweight Championship and joining the SmackDown roster. In late 2007, he formed La Familia, a group including Chavo Guerrero, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, as well as SmackDown GM Vickie Guerrero, who Edge was in a relationship with. He defended the title against the Undertaker in a good match at WrestleMania XXIV. He was a fixture in the main event in 2008 before being injured again and returning at the 2010 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant and the eventual winner. He challenged Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXVI and later at Extreme Rules in a steel cage match. Edge successfully defended his World title against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII before having to retire the night after due to injury. Edge is a former US Champion, a Royal Rumble winner, a Money in the Bank winner, King of the Ring winner, two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 12-time World Tag Team Champion, five-time IC Champion, four-time WWE Champion and seven-time World Heavyweight Champion.

Promos/Character: Edge played a number of different characters, from the goofball tag team with Christian to the scummy Rated-R Superstar in his partnership with Lita (and later Vickie). He had some good comedy segments with Christian, Mick Foley and Kurt Angle and later had the live-sex celebration angle with Lita and made both of those work. He could deliver competent and sometimes good promos, though his facial expressions tended toward overacting, and some voters felt he wasn’t always a believable character. He’s also the Ultimate Opportunist!

Workrate: He’s a good worker and over the course of his long career produced several excellent matches. His ladder and TLC matches teaming with Christian were all time classics, as was the No Mercy 2002 bout. His feud with Angle during that time frame was also very good. His feud with Matt Hardy in 2005 produced some good matches and felt different than anything else they were doing at the time. He had very good matches with John Cena in 2006 and his hardcore match against Foley at WrestleMania 22 and teaming with Foley and Lita at One Night Stand 2006 are excellent. He won the first (and many feel best) MITB match at WrestleMania 21 and had a good straight wrestling match against Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIV.

Staff Thoughts: Edge was another divisive figure with voters. He’s trumpeted by WWE as an all-time great, yet many voters were lukewarm (or lower) on the Rated-R Superstar. Others felt he was in the top-tier of their list. His longevity is both a blessing and a curse, as he had a lot of blah points, but compiled a great amount of memorable moments, matches and angles along the way as well. From the tag team with Christian to his surprise Rumble victory and final main event run he’s had a great career. Along the way he gave us live sex celebrations, kazoos and a shitload of titles and main events.

From the Voters: “I am interested where Edge will end up on my list. I don’t really like him that much as a worker but he does have some performances that are great as well as a bevy of great matches that helps him. His promo ability is wildly inconsistent for me and floats too often between jokey and Mr. Serious. He is someone I will be exploring to see if he is in my top 30 or 50.” – Chad Campbell, May 30, 2017

“Edge is great so he’s def on my list probably top 20. He did so much in just a decade, it’s almost dizzying. His in ring work at times could be a bit choppy but his character work and being the slimy Bastard heel was always fun to watch now. I kind of took him for granted during his main run in 05-08 and regret doing so bc you could argue that SD was his show along with Undertaker.” – Dennis Nunez, May 30, 2017

“Very strong in both heel and face characters. Also played two VERY DIFFERENT heel characters during his career. ( goofy idiot and tonguey scum bag). REALLY had the scum bag role down as of 2005. Had a thirteen year career during which he was rarely injured. He never FELT like a top guy to me though. More like someone playing a top guy. Just didn’t feel natural.” – Aaron George, May 30, 2017

23. Ric Flair Total Points: 7,809 Total Ballots: 118 Average Rank: 35 High Vote: 2 Low Vote: 88 High Voter: Scott Herrin

Nuance: Ric Flair spent seven years and change with the WWE between his stint from late 1991 to early 1993 and his run from late 2001 until his retirement match in 2008. He played both a heel and a babyface as a singles and in tag teams with Batista and Roddy Piper. Flair carried himself like a star and his legendary career provided gravitas to his late-era work in the WWE.

Jump Up Moments: The Nature Boy showed up in the WWF with the Big Gold Belt, proclaiming himself the Real World Champion. He had a house show run with Hulk Hogan and an early feud against Roddy Piper before winning the World Title in an all time showing at the 1992 Royal Rumble. He then lost the title to Randy Savage in an excellent match at WrestleMania VIII, also featuring the “she was mine before she was yours” storyline. He would win the title again from Savage and lose it to Bret Hart before losing a “Loser Leaves WWF” match to Mr. Perfect in the first great Raw match. Flair wouldn’t return again until late 2001 where he was a storyline co-owner of the WWF leading to a feud and match with Mr. McMahon at Royal Rumble 2002. He then had a fun match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania X8. He joined forces with Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista in Evolution, winning the tag titles with Batista and having a really good match against the Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection at WresteMania XX. Flair won the Intercontinental title and had a very good steel cage match with Triple H at Taboo Tuesday 2005 and gory Last Man Standing match at Survivor Series. He won the Tag Team Titles with Roddy Piper in 2006. In late 2007, Flair began an angle where if he lost a match he would be forced to retire by Vince McMahon. This culminated in an excellent emotional match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV. He would make sporadic returns as a legend and manager for his daughter Charlotte.

Promos/Character: “With a tear in my eye…” we’re telling you Flair is a great promo anywhere and at any age, as shown by the promo he cut after winning the World Title at the 1992 Rumble. Flair’s one of the best talkers of all-time and he cut great promos in his 1992 run and during his return as both a wrestler and a spokesperson for Evolution and later Charlotte. He was able to evolve his character from the limousine-ridin’, jet-flyin’, kiss-stealin’, wheelin’ dealin’ champ in 1992 to the legend he portrayed in his last run, generating a great emotional response during his retirement angle. His farewell address on Raw was also a memorable moment.

Workrate: This is a bit of a mixed bag for Flair, with fantastic work in 1992, particularly in the Royal Rumble and the Savage WrestleMania match, but highs and lows in his return. He had good stuff with McMahon and Undertaker in 2002, and the Rock ‘n’ Sock tag at WrestleMania XX is fun, but many aren’t high on his Evolution work. His 2005 matches with Triple H are very good however, and his retirement tour saw some good work too. The WrestleMania match against Shawn Michaels was great and provided a fitting retirement match for Flair’s WWE career.

Staff Thoughts: The Nature Boy is the first person on the list to appear on every ballot submitted. His 1992 run is one of the most fondly remembered years a performer has had and he had enough highs in his return to warrant a spot on every voter’s list. He checks every box on the NJPW scoring. Unquestionably, his best work was elsewhere, but he had excellent work in the WWF/E as well, with the 1992 run, retirement angle and retirement match and Triple H matches in 2005 leading the way. Flair always did good character work and cut very good promos throughout his WWE career. To hear more about Flair’s case, check out this podblast from Greg and Aaron.

From the Voters: “I hate Evolution era Flair. One of my least favorite runs ever from a true legend. That said I love American Onita era Flair (05/06) and the retirement run was extremely compelling. The first run is difficult to gauge – it feels like a giant missed opportunity in many ways but it had some awesome high points and moments. If you discard the non-WWE stuff I think it’s tough to make a case for him higher than the 30s.” – Dylan Hales, June 2, 2017

“Flair is a guy I’m really looking at today. He has a bunch of highs in his 91-93 run. His work during the Summerslam title match was good and it led to a title win over the Macho Man. Right now he is placing around 25, grouped in with the likes of Valentine, Patterson and Santana, and I’m going to make a hard press to find enough positives between 03-08 to keep him there.” – Jeffrey Thomas, July 8, 2017

“I think there’s enough good stuff in his later run. His return was epic. The Vince match was fun. Taker at mania 18 holds up as solid. Hell I’d even put his “wrestling match” with Steve Austin from Raw in the good pile.He’s a huge part of the handicap match at mania 20. And the Taboo Tuesday and Survivor Series matches with Hunter in 05 are truly great. I’m not saying he was “Ric Flair” in those years but there’s a stack of great stuff in there that were he not “Ric Flair” we’d be lavishing praise on. And his 1991-1993 is a spectacular run.” – Aaron George, November 25, 2017

22. Owen Hart Total Points: 7,839 Total Ballots: 115 Average Rank: 32.9 High Vote: 4 Low Vote: 82 High Voter: Bret Hart

Nuance: Owen Hart had a decade of time with the company, with brief run as the Blue Blazer in 1988-89, before returning in 1991 and staying until 1999. He played both a babyface and a heel, though was much more natural as a heel. Owen had good singles runs and found tag team success with his brother Bret, Jim Neidhart, Koko B. Ware, British Bulldog, Yokozuna and Jeff Jarrett. Owen was great at little things, often going so over the top that he made small touches like the Slammy Awards into significant parts of his character.

Jump Up Moments: As the Blue Blazer he had one of the better five-minute matches in company history at WrestleMania V. Upon his return, Owen teamed with Neidhart as the New Foundation, defeating the Orient Express at Royal Rumble 1992, and later formed High Energy with Koko B. Ware, known primarily for their colorful and very large pants. He was part of the WWF vs. USWA angle that was enveloped into Bret’s feud with Jerry Lawler, and Owen won the USWA title in 1993. Owen was part of the Hart Family 1993 Survivor Series team and the only member eliminated, leading to friction between Owen and Bret. The two mended fences and challenged the Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Titles at the 1994 Royal Rumble, before Bret was too selfish causing Owen to kick his leg out from his leg. This led to an all-time classic between Bret and Owen with Owen pinning his brother clean in the WrestleMania X opener. Owen would then win the 1994 King of the Ring taking the name the King of Harts. He continued feuding with Bret in a good cage match at SummerSlam 1994, and cost Bret the title when he convinced their mother Helen to throw in the towel during a match with Bob Backlund. He would also cost Bret during his title match against Diesel at 1995 Royal Rumble before Bret defeated Owen, ending the feud. Owen then began teaming with Yokozuna, winning the Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania XI and teaming for most of 1995. By 1996, Owen was teaming with British Bulldog and won the Tag Team Titles again. He also faced Bulldog in the finals for the first European Championship in one of the best matches in Raw history. A rematch for the European Title was interrupted by Bret Hart, who convinced both to join the new Hart Foundation. Owen then won the Intercontinental title from Rocky Maivia, though he and Bulldog lost the tag titles to Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin on Raw in another great match. He lost his IC Title to Steve Austin in what was a great match at SummerSlam 1997 before Austin’s neck injury. Owen would win the IC title tournament, before losing it again at Survivor Series 1997. After Survivor Series, Owen disappeared until attacking Michaels after the main event of the D-Generation X PPV, and later challenging Michaels on Raw, winning by DQ when Triple H interfered. Owen would feud with Triple H over the European Title through WrestleMania XIV. He turned heel on Ken Shamrock and joined the Nation of Domination and continued feuding with DX. Owen then teamed with Jeff Jarrett winning the Tag Team Championship again. He also began using the Blue Blazer gimmick again, which resulted in tragedy when Owen fell prior to his entrance at Over the Edge 1999, causing his untimely death. Owen was a three-time Slammy Award winner, King of the Ring winner, a four-time WWF Tag Team Champion, a European Champion and a two-time IC Champion.

Promos/Character: Owen played a number of characters and always played them to the fullest. He nailed the whiny, annoying younger brother during Bret’s feud, was obnoxious as the Slammy Award winner and attempted to show a more ruthless side as the Black Hart. Some of these characters worked better than others, but he always jumped into his character completely and was great with comedy roles. His promos were a mixed bag, as he was generally competent if unspectacular, but had some high-profile flubs, notably “kicking Bret’s leg out from his leg.” His “enough is enough and it’s time for a change” catchphrase was generally a bomb, but proclaiming he was “not a nugget” did get over with the crowd during the early Attitude Era.

Workrate: Owen was an excellent worker with a long list of great matches. His match with Bret at WrestleMania X is an all-time classic. Opinions vary on his cage match at SummerSlam, depending on your take on how violent a cage match should be, but it includes unique psychology around escaping. His tag team work with British Bulldog resulted in some great matches with Austin and Michaels and Austin and Dude Love on Raw. The match with Bulldog in the European title finals is great as well. He was a huge part of the Hart Foundation angle, including the iconic main event of Canadian Stampede. The IC Title match with Austin was damn strong before Owen botched a tombstone piledriver breaking his neck. The tag team with Jeff Jarrett had some decent moments.

Staff Thoughts: Owen had an impressive list of excellent matches, and was a memorable character, whether he was the whiny little brother, channeling his inner Cowboy Bob Orton with his never-healing broken arm or as a nugget. He always made the most out of whatever he was given in an effort to make it entertaining. He was undeniably talented, but things never quite worked out for him, as he wasn’t given much to do after his hot run with Bret in 1994. He was hot again as part of the Hart Foundation angle, but after the Austin injury and then Montreal, both Austin and Michaels were reluctant to work with Owen for different reasons. He never seemed to quite fit in the Attitude Era, despite being one of the better workers at the time, often having the best matches on TV. He could have been re-invigorated in 2000 or 2001 working with Jericho or the Radicalz, but it was not to be. His untimely death at Over the Edge 1999 remains an unnecessary and tragic accident taking a great wrestler beloved by his family, co-workers and fans far too soon.

From the Voters: “Personally I think he’s better than his brother, just a more energetic worker who exuded pure joy in the ring. Worked absolute classics with Bret and Bulldog. Elevated every match or feud he was in. Could do comedy or serious stuff. A tag team specialist. Only knock against him is he wasn’t a great babyface. He’ll place high for sure.”- Ben Morse, June 6, 2017

“I had on KOTR 1994 today with his winning of the Tournament. From this day forward you will refer to me as The King Of Harts. No matter what Owen did either feuding with his brother Bret or teaming up with British Bulldog or tearing the house down with Shawn Micheals or doing commentary on the 1996 KOTR he was always a joy to watch. And you know what he did it all by himself and was a Winner. He’s on mine for sure.”- Jay Hinchey, June 1, 2017

“A lock for my list. A fabulous wrestler. Quite possibly one of the best pure wrestlers in company history. Was involved in one of the best matches in company history with Bret at WM X. Real good character work throughout his career whether it’s as whiny younger brother Owen or Hart Foundation member Owen which I loved. Owen never took a night off. When he got in the ring, you knew he was gonna work his ass off. Real good chance he’s top 25 for me.” – Matt Souza, June 1, 2017

21. Triple H Total Points: 8,184 Total Ballots: 111 Average Rank: 27.5 High Vote: 4 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Ray Miller

Nuance: Triple H debuted in 1995 and was a regular performer through 2013 or so, and still makes appearances, so few have greater longevity than Triple H. He’s performed as a babyface and a heel, primarily as a singles guy, but he’s had significant tag teams as part of D-Generation X and Evolution.

Jump Up Moments: As the Connecticut Blueblood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley competed in hog pen matches, got squashed by Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania XII and won the Intercontinental title and the 1997 King of the Ring. He would then join DX with Shawn Michaels, Chyna and Rick Rude and take the name Triple H. As part of DX, he had a good feud and matches with Mankind, including a cage war at SummerSlam 1997. He took over DX after WrestleMania XIV, and the group would feud with the Nation of Domination with Triple H feuding with The Rock, including a really good ladder match at SummerSlam 1998. He won the WWF Championship for the first time from Mankind on Raw in 1999, before marrying Stephanie McMahon at the end of 1999 to start the McMahon-Helmsley Era. He had a great street fight with Cactus Jack at Royal Rumble 2000 to kick off an excellent year of matches and angles in 2000. In 2001, he had a hot angle with Stone Cold Steve Austin culminating a well-regarded Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out 2001. The two then paired together as the Two Man Power Trip before Triple H injured his quad for the first time. When he returned from injury he won the 2002 Royal Rumble challenging Chris Jericho at WrestleMania X8. Later in 2002, he turned on a returning Michaels and had a great street fight at SummerSlam. From mid-2002 into 2003, he was the mainstay in the Raw main event scene, forming Evolution and holding the World Heavyweight Title. He had a good match with Michaels on Raw in late 2003 with Michaels, leading to a classic three-way match at WrestleMania XX where Royal Rumble winner Chris Benoit won the title. In 2005, he had a really good feud with Batista losing the title at WrestleMania 21 and having a great Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance. He also had a good feud with Ric Flair in 2005. He had a solid match with John Cena at WrestleMania 22 before re-forming DX in 2006, feuding with the McMahons and Rated RKO, before tearing his quad again in early 2007. Upon his return he feuded with Randy Orton and had a good three-way match with Orton and Cena at WrestleMania XXIV. He would be a main event mainstay throughout 2007-2009, before reforming DX again in 2009, feuding with the Legacy and JeriShow. He challenged and lost to the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII and would again challenge him at WrestleMania XXVIII in a HIAC match. Triple H would challenge Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2012 and defeated him at WrestleMania 29, before losing at Extreme Rules. He was the special referee for the SummerSlam 2013 match between Cena and Daniel Bryan, turning on Bryan allowing Orton to cash in his MITB briefcase and forming The Authority. This eventually led to an all time classic match vs. Bryan to open WrestleMania XXX. He then reformed Evolution and had good six-man matches against The Shield at Extreme Rules and Payback 2014. At WrestleMania 31 he defeated Sting and then won the World Heavyweight Title at the 2016 Royal Rumble and lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 32. He faced Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33 and was one of the survivors of the Raw team at Survivor Series 2017. He is a King of the Ring winner, two-time Royal Rumble winner, two-time WWF Tag Team Champion, Unified WWE Tag Team Champion, two-time European Champion, a five-time IC Champion, five-time World Heavyweight Champion and nine-time WWF/E Champion.

Promos/Character: On one hand, Triple H kicked off the era of the 20-minute in-ring promos that have opened Raw for a decade and a half. On the other hand, he’s probably more responsible than anyone else for Raw having to start with a 20-minute promo, which some of us hate. He’s certainly capable, if not enthralling on the mic, but also has a tendency to bury his opponent in some cases, like when he said John Cena couldn’t wrestle.

Workrate: Triple H has a long list of classic matches, to go along with a fairly long list of failed attempted epics. His SummerSlam 1997 cage match against Mankind is very good and his 2000 has very good matches against Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble and No Way Out), The Rock (Backlash and the Iron Man match at Judgment Day), Chris Jericho (last man standing at Fully Loaded) and others. In 2001, he added the Austin match at No Way Out and an excellent tag match with Austin against Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho on Raw. His matches with Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2002 and on Raw in late 2003 are very good but there are many other Michaels matches that miss the mark with many fans. The main event three-way of WrestleMania XX is very good. His HIAC match with Batista was great and then his Taboo Tuesday and Survivor Series 2005 matches with Ric Flair were very good. His WrestleMania matches with Undertaker are quite divisive with many liking one or both matches. The match with Daniel Bryan to open WrestleMania XXX is excellent. The six-man matches with The Shield in 2014 are very good as well. His matches with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 32 and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33 were not highlights.

Staff Thoughts: Triple H just has a ton of stuff, for every great match there’s a deflating defeat of an up-and-comer (Goldberg, RVD, Booker T). For every memorable moment and great match, there’s a 20-minute promo or a Katie Vick angle. But those memorable moments and matches do exist, and his 2000 to 2001 run is full of great ones. His match at WrestleMania XX is excellent and the match with Bryan at WrestleMania XXX is a classic as well. Without question, The Game has been integral to the history of the WWE, with some better and some worse, but ultimately, he’s been a huge figure in the company for more than 20 years.

From the Voters: “He makes my list but I’m not sure how high up he will be. In ring is interesting. In 2000, he was one of the best wrestlers on the planet but in late 02 and especially 03 he was the hottest of hot garbage. His character is fine didn’t suck but it was never great either. Not sure where he ranks on my list. If I had to guess, probably somewhere in the top 40.” – Matt Souza, June 3, 2017

“He’ll be in Top 30 for me. I don’t have as much simmering hatred or unabashed love for him. He overrates himself and yet has almost become underrated. One of only TWO men to get a decent match out of Great Khali. I like and have other guys currently higher, but there will be a well deserved spot for ‘The Game’. Now stop humping his leg Criscuolo!” – David Mann, July 12, 2017

“He’s a guy I feel almost obligated to include. There’s surely a lot of cons: terrible run on top of Raw, only made 3 acts look good in defeat (Bryan, Batista, and the Shield) out of 20 or so he did not, and long-winded promos. That being said, he’s had a fair amount of good matches, was an important part of two major stables, and could play a great heel when he wasn’t making his opponent look like garbage. I feel like the Bryan feud and stuff with the Shield will boost him the most for me.” – Greg Rossbach, July 13, 2017

20. Rey Mysterio Total Points: 8,829 Total Ballots: 113 Average Rank: 24 High Vote: 1 First Place Votes: 1 Low Vote: 89 High Voter: Good Ol’ Will from Texas

Nuance: Rey Mysterio had a long 13-year run from 2002 to 2015. During this time, he could be counted on week in and week out to deliver on TV. He was always a babyface and it’s hard to imagine Mysterio playing a heel (we’ll ignore the Filthy Animals stuff in WCW). He worked as a singles wrestler, in main events, cruiserweight matches and everything in between and had notable tag teams with Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Batista and Rob Van Dam, so he he has good flexibility as a worker.

Jump Up Moments: Mysterio debuted in a very good match with Kurt Angle to open SummerSlam 2002. He soon was a central part of the SmackDown Six, tearing the house down on a regular basis, including 2002 Match of the Year Contender with Edge against Chris Benoit and Angle at No Mercy 2002. He was an anchor for the cruiserweight division in 2003, winning the Cruiserweight Title three times. Mysterio teamed with Van Dam to win the Tag Team Titles, and later teamed with Eddie Guerrero to do the same. He defeated Eddie at WrestleMania 21 while still teaming, but that led to Eddie turning on Rey and starting an intense feud, that eventually led to a ladder match with custody of Rey’s son Dominic on the line, in a storyline straight from a telenovella. The ladder match took place at SummerSlam 2005 and the feud culminated in a steel cage match on SmackDown. He teamed with Batista in 2005 winning the tag team titles and feuding with MNM. Rey Rey won the 2006 Royal Rumble entering at number two and lasting 62 minutes, which is still the longevity record. At WrestleMania 22, Mysterio won the World Title in a three-way against Angle and Randy Orton. He became the ultimate underdog champion, until losing the title to King Booker at Great American Bash 2006, before starting a feud with Chavo Guerrero. He feuded with Finlay culminating in a stretcher match at Cyber Sunday 2007. He spent the majority of 2008 fueding with Kane, before lasting 49 minutes in the 2009 Royal Rumble and challenging for the World Title at No Way Out in the Elimination Chamber, where he was the last person eliminated by winner Edge. He won the Intercontinental title from JBL at WrestleMania XXV. Rey then engaged in a great feud with Chris Jericho over the IC title, with good matches at Judgment Day, Extreme Rules and The Bash 2009. Later in the year, he teamed with Batista, challenging JeriShow for the Tag Team Titles, before Batista executed a savage turn on Rey after a match at Bragging Rights 2009. He feuded with Batista through 2009 facing him in a number of good matches, including a steel cage match for the right to challenge Undertaker for the World Title at Royal Rumble 2010. Mysterio eliminated CM Punk from the Elimination Chamber, setting up their feud. Rey faced Punk in a series of good matches at WrestleMania XXVI, Extreme Rules and Over the Limit 2010. At Fatal Four-Way 2010, Mysterio won his second World Title, defeating Big Show, CM Punk and Jack Swagger, but he would lose it at Money in the Bank when Kane cashed in his briefcase. He would then feud with Alberto Del Rio and Cody Rhodes, including losing to Rhodes at WrestleMania XXVII, before winning at Extreme Rules 2011 in a falls count anywhere match. Rey won the WWE title defeating Miz in the finals of a tournament before losing it to John Cena later the same night. In 2012 he teamed with Sin Cara. He appeared as part of the 2013 Survivor Series team with the Usos and Cody Rhodes and Goldust against The Shield and Real Americans and was part of a four-way tag team match at TLC 2013. He appeared in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX. Rey is a Royal Rumble winner, a four-time WWE Tag Team Champion, a two-time IC Champion, a three-time Cruiserweight Champion, WWE Champion and two-time World Champion.

Promos/Character: Promos are the weakness for Rey, as he was OK at best as a promo. His character was fairly one-dimensional as well, as the ultimate underdog. He did a good job conveying that character in his ring work.

Workrate: His debut match with Angle at SummerSlam 2002 is really fun and the No Mercy tag is one of the best tag matches in WWE history. His feud with Eddie Guerrero in 2005 featured very good ladder and cage matches, despite the over the top storyline. Rey had a great 2009, starting with his feud with Jericho, including great matches at Extreme Rules and the title vs. mask match at The Bash. His feud with CM Punk and the Straight Edge Society resulted in really good matches. He had great matches throughout 2011 against Punk, Rhodes and Del Rio. Rey Rey was so consistent that he’s provided fans with countless good to great matches on TV during his decade and a half with the WWE.

Staff Thoughts: Rey Mysterio’s got a strong resume of work with the company during his long tenure. Right from his debut he was having great matches with Angle, as part of the SmackDown Six and in his feud with Guerrero. He kept it up to varying degrees his whole time with the company, with his work in 2009-2011 being particularly strong. He doesn’t really have any crap during his tenure, and can be counted on week in and week out to provide good matches and entertaining TV. Rey did his talking in the ring, and always had good matches for a decade and a half, which struck a chord with voters placing him in the top 20.

From the Voters: “Top 10 lock. Might sneak in my Top 5. A true #1 candidate. One of the 2 or 3 best wrestlers who’s ever lived in-ring. The best TV match worker of all-time. Elite seller & babyface. Great singles & tag worker. 3 all time great feuds in company history with Eddie, Jericho, & Punk. Carried much lesser workers to 3 star matches multiple times. Huge merch seller & a draw in the Latino market.” – Devon Motivator Hales, June 2, 2017

“Probably a top 30 for me even though his style was never my cup of tea and he also was probably my least favorite wrestler for a while as the whole “Ultimate Underdog” who yet wins 90% of his matches and dominates feuds was super annoying. Just has too many great matches. 2009 was probably his best year imo and was probably one of the best years all time someone has had in ring. Did an awesome job as IC champion with great matches with Jericho, Ziggler, and John Morrison. Also had an impressive performance in the Elimination Chamber that year.” – Wade Ferrari, June 2, 2017

“Top 3 or 5. If there’s a bad WWE Rey Mysterio match I have yet to see it. Singles, tag, TV, PPV, Rey was the highlight of almost any show. Very memorable feuds with Jericho, Matt, Punk, and Eddie (the story was ridiculous but the matches were great). Tremendous babyface and high-flyer. The only possible knocks against him would be mic work and his disappointing World Title run but A.) his character work as the ultimate underdog got him over enough without needing to be a dynamite promo and B.) his title run was merely Rey being a victim of bad booking.” – Greg Rossbach, July 7, 2017

19. Bob Backlund Total Points: 8,929 Total Ballots: 110 Average Rank: 20.7 High Vote: 3 Low Vote: 75 High Voter: Scott Herrin; TheBestThereNeverWillBe; Karl Grant

Nuance: Bob Backlund had more than a decade with the WWF, between his initial run and his return in the early to mid 90s. He played a virtuous babyface during his first tenure and a completely different character as a crazy old man heel in the 90s. He was primarily a singles wrestler, though did win the tag team titles with Pedro Morales.

Jump Up Moments: Backlund began receiving title shots almost immediately upon his debut in 1977 and defeated Superstar Billy Graham in February 1978 for his first WWF Title. Three days after winning the title he faced NWA champion Harley Race in a 60-minute draw and challenging other champions became a theme of Backlund’s reign. He formed a tag team with Peter Maivia, who then turned on him, resulting in Backlund showing more fire and anger. In 1980, Backlund and Morales won the Tag Team Titles against the Wild Samoans at the Showdown at Shea, but had to vacate them, because no one could hold two championships at the time. Despite an unusual situation with the title being held up when a groggy referee mistakenly handed the belt to Greg Valentine and another situation where he lost the title to Antonio Inoki in Japan, Backlund’s reign is recognized as being continuous from 1978 until he lost the title to Iron Sheik in December 1983. That occurred when manager Arnold Skaaland got up off his chair for once and threw in the towel for Backlund. During this first reign Backlund had tremendous matches with Greg Valentine, Sgt. Slaughter, Ken Patera, Jimmy Snuka, Adrian Adonis, Masked Superstar, Stan Hansen and many others. Backlund surprisingly returned to the WWF in 1992 and lasted 61:10 in the 1993 Royal Rumble, a record that stood until 2004. He then challenged Bret Hart to a match in July 1994, snapping when he lost and locking Hart in the crossface chickenwing, turning heel in the process. He would go on to cut great crazed old man promos, demand that he be called Mr. Backlund, only sign autographs for fans that could recite the Presidents in order and then he attacked his former manager Skaaland. He challenged Bret Hart in a submission match for the title at Survivor Series 1994, winning the WWF Title for a second time when Owen Hart convinced Helen Hart to throw in the towel for her son. He would lose the title to Diesel a few days later. Hart would win the rematch at WrestleMania XI in an “I Quit” match. Backlund has appeared as a manager and in numerous skits and training videos since his last run. Backlund is a WWF Tag Team Champion and two-time WWF Champion.

Promos/Character: In his first run, Backlund was considered somewhat milquetoast as the All-American boy that looked like Howdy Doody, but for most of the run the fans bought in to the character. His promos were by the book and seemed bland by modern standards, but were usually effective. He cut some excellent heel promos as Mr. Bob Backlund in 1994 and his crazy old man character was gold.

Workrate: Backlund was an all-time great worker with a list of classic matches a mile long. He had an all-time Texas Death Match against Ken Patera on May 19, 1980. He had many wars with Greg Valentine, including a 60-minute draw in February of 1979, and a steel cage match at the Philadelphia Spectrum in January 1982. He foguth Jimmy Snuka in a steel cage match at MSG in 1982 when Snuka attempted his Superfly splash off the top of the cage before Backlund moved and escaped to win. He battled Sgt. Slaughter in many matches in 1981 and 1983, including a very good cage match at thee Philadelphia Spectrum March 21, 1981. The Facebook page includes a link to a tremendous match with Adrian Adonis. He had fun cage matches with Pat Patterson and Stan Hansen. He also had a series of matches with Hulk Hogan in 1980. Great matches were more rare in his return, but his match against Bret Hart, winning the title at Survivor Series is quite good. Backlund was a consistently good worker and if he had a good opponent in his first run, you were likely to see a really solid match, with even the most basic moves looking good and meaning something.

Staff Thoughts: Backlund had classic matches with anyone who could walk during his first title reign. Many voters digging into his work during this project came away gushing about his matches with Valentine, Patera, Slaughter, Adonis, and on and on, you get the idea. Some claim that he may have more good to great matches than anyone else in company history and he certainly has a case. His character seems a bit bland, but the crowds of the day were behind him, and he did great character work in his heel run in 1994. His six-year reign was the transition from Bruno Sammartino’s era to Hulk Hogan’s and he kind of gets lost to history because of that, but Backlund had a tremendous reign with tons of great matches to his name. To hear the guys talk more about Backlund, check out this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “I will write a piece on him someday. Completely and utterly unique take on wrestling psychology. Probably the greatest pure babyface working on top. Incredible feats of strength spots. Insanely versatile in the type of matches he can have: brawls with Slaughter & Patera, mat classics with Valentine, strongman matches with Hogan. The heel run in 94 bolsters his case.” – Martin Boulevard, May 29, 2017

“Something I think gets overlooked is how much the fans loved him during most of his title run. His popularity waned toward the end of 83, but go back prior and check out the huge pops he got. His milquetoast persona and stilted promos, in retrospect, make it seem like he would’ve bored crowds to death. But that wasn’t the case at all. During the territory days the WWF was built on face champs facing the heel of the month (with rematches), with the face winning in the end. The thing with Backlund that I remember most back then was he almost always seemed vulnerable and could lose at any time. His victorious comebacks made him loved even more, especially against a really hated heel like Slaughter and Valentine.” – Tim Tetreault, May 29, 2017

“Absolutely! He was the face of the WWWF for 6 or 7. Good in-ring work, not a great promo but he didn’t have to be.” – Will Gertler, May 28, 2017

18. Andre the Giant Total Points: 9,041 Total Ballots: 116 Average Rank: 23.3 High Vote: 5 Low Vote: 96 High Voter: Timothy Drake; Vince Male

Nuance: Andre the Giant first arrived in the WWWF in 1973 and appeared regularly until 1990, so he had great longevity. He was a beloved babyface in the 1970s and early 1980s before turning to become the number one heel in 1987. He was primarily a singles star, but won tag team gold with Haku as the Colossal Connection. Andre had a presence like no one else has had before or since. He was clearly larger than life, but he was also tremendously charismatic and engaging, leading to him becoming one of the biggest stars in the company for more than a decade.

Jump Up Moments: Andre battled boxer Chuck Wepner in an unscripted boxer vs. wrestler fight on the undercard of the Muhammad Ali/Antonio Inoki fight and Andre threw Wepner over the top rope to end the bout. In 1981, Killer Khan dropped a knee from the top rope, breaking Andre’s ankle and kickstarting their feud. The two faced off in a number of matches before Andre decisively defeated Khan in a Mongolian stretcher match at the Philadelphia Spectrum in November 1981. Andre had a long-standing feud with Big John Studd over who was the true giant of pro wrestling. In 1984, Studd and Ken Patera knocked Andre out and cut his hair while “raping him of his dignity” according to Vince McMahon. That led to the bodyslam challenge match that Andre won at the first WrestleMania. At WrestleMania 2, Andre won the battle royal that also included NFL players. He continued feuding with the Heenan Family, particularly Studd and King Kong Bundy, appearing as Giant Machine after being suspended before he was mysteriously reinstated with Heenan’s approval. In early 1987, Hulk Hogan was presented with a trophy for being World Champion for three years and the next week Andre was presented a smaller trophy for being “undefeated” before Hogan came out to congratulate him and steal the spotlight causing Andre to walk off. The next week the two met on Piper’s Pit, with Andre accompanied by Heenan. Andre challenged Hogan for his title, attacking him and ripping off his cross necklace. The two went on to main event WrestleMania III, filling the Pontiac Silverdome in the most famous main event at the time, and maybe of all-time. Andre would continue to feud with Hogan, with the two facing off as captains of teams at the inaugural Survivor Series, with Andre as the sole survivor. The feud continued with Andre defeating Hogan on The Main Event in February 1988, winning the World Title before selling it to the Million Dollar Man. The win was tainted, as the wrong Hebner counted the pin, leading to the title being held up and a tournament set for WrestleMania IV, where Hogan and Andre battled to a double-DQ. At the first SummerSlam, Andre teamed with DiBiase as the Mega-Bucks to take on the Mega-Powers of Hogan and Randy Savage in a fun main event. Andre then feuded with Hacksaw Jim Duggan, before moving on to Jake “The Snake” Roberts who exposed Andre’s fear of snakes and caused him to have a “mild heart attack.” Andre lost to Roberts at WrestleMania V when he was DQ’d by special referee Big John Studd. Andre faced off against the Ultimate Warrior in a series of house show matches in late 1989, usually losing quickly. He then formed the Colossal Connection with fellow Heenan Family member Haku, winning the Tag Team Championship from Demolition in December 1989. The Colossal Connection lost the belts back to Demolition at WrestleMania VI, with Heenan blaming Andre for the loss, allowing him to turn babyface after the match. He would appear sporadically for the next few years, as a babyface, but Andre’s in-ring career for the WWF was mostly over at this point.

Promos/Character: Andre was not the most articulate promo in the world. However, he was such a presence and so charismatic that he’s one of the most well-known characters the company ever had. Non-wrestling fans know who Andre was, and he was a huge attraction for nearly two decades in the company.

Workrate: While Andre’s not a traditional workrate warrior, he’s had many good matches, thought most of them did not happen in the WWF. However, he has some highlight matches like the Killer Khan Mongolian stretcher match and the main event of the first SummerSlam is quite good as well. The main event of WrestleMania III is not necessarily a traditionally great workrate match, but was worked to perfection and must be seen for the atmosphere, and that doesn’t happen with any other wrestler challenging Hogan.

Staff Thoughts: Andre’s the one wrestler that seems to break the NJPW scoring system, because whenever you try to analyze workrate and promos, he’s likely to score poorly. But then you say to yourself, “c’mon he’s Andre!” And that’s a valid argument, because there’s no one else like Andre, his presence and charisma are off the charts. He was part of the main event that really put the WWF on the map at WrestleMania III. Add that to his role as a huge attraction for the company from 1973 on and he’s a no-brainer for the list. C’mon, he’s Andre, Boss! You can hear the guys talk more about Andre on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “One of the biggest draws/attractions of all-time, half of the biggest match in wrestling history. No doubt he’s on the list.”- Ben Habur, May 28, 2017

“You can look at all the stuff he didn’t have like mic skills or workmate, but when it comes to Andre does it even matter. Andre helped make the WWF what it is today. There will never be a better giant to get in the squared circle. Some may have what he didn’t but no one can match the presence he was.”- Matt Rotella, May 29, 2017

“If I’m judging on importance to promotion I’d put him at a ten (I think he has a case for being the most important personality in company history actually). I’d put him as a 10

As a character/star. We can say his promos sucked artistically, but the goal of promos is drawing people and Andre did that so I’m not sure him being indiscernible has a shred of value as a criticism. I give him a ten on memorable moments because even seeing Andre was the moment – he’s literally and figuratively the most significant attraction in company history. I thought he was shockingly adaptable as an old broken down man. There is a lot of variance between scared of Jakes Snake and teaming with Haku. As a worker I think he’s a challenge to rate, but I wouldn’t give him negative points. Longevity is a huge plus. Will probably make my top 10.”- Dylan Hales, July 7, 2017

17. Daniel Bryan Total Points: 9,175 Total Ballots: 116 Average Rank: 22.4 High Vote: 4 Low Vote: 90 High Voter: Steven Graham

Nuance: Daniel Bryan had only five years time with WWE, so longevity works against him. He showed great flexibility, working as a heel and a babyface and a singles and tag worker. Bryan’s connection to the crowd was on a level many thought we’d never see again in WWE, and he showed great intangibles and little touches to form that connection.

Jump Up Moments: Bryan was originally part of the Nexus, before being turfed from the group and fired in real-life for choking Justin Roberts with his tie on TV. He would return as part of Team WWE facing the Nexus at SummerSlam 2010. He defeated Miz to win the US Title at Night of Champions 2010, and faced Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler at Bragging Rights 2010 in a good match, before losing the belt to Sheamus on Raw. Bryan won the 2011 Money in the Bank ladder match, beginning a storyline with World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, where he cashed in his MITB briefcase, but the decision was reversed because Henry was not medically cleared to compete. He cashed in the MITB briefcase against Big Show at TLC 2011 winning his first World Championship. As World Champion, he began a slow heel turn including excessive victory celebrations and was also involved in a romantic storyline with AJ Lee. He successfully defended his title in a three-way cage match against Big Show and Mark Henry, before losing it in 18-seconds to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVII after a good luck kiss from AJ. He had a great two-out-of-three falls match against Sheamus at Extreme Rules. Bryan then entered into a three-way feud with CM Punk and Kane for the WWE championship, with AJ involved again. This resulted in Bryan proposing to AJ, but her leaving him at the altar to accept the permanent General Manager of Raw position. AJ then forced Bryan to battle Kane repeatedly and then enrolled the two in anger management classes, resulting in them forming the tag team Team Hell No. Team Hell No won the WWE Tag Team Titles and holding them until Extreme Rules 2013 when they lost them to The Shield. Team Hell No also teamed with Ryback to challenge The Shield at TLC 2012 in a classic match. Bryan wanted to prove he was not the weak link in Team Hell No, leading to dissention and the team dissolving, as Bryan’s popularity increased. WWE Champion John Cena picked Bryan as his opponent at SummerSlam 2013 in an all-time classic match that saw Bryan win the title, before being turned on by Triple H, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his MITB briefcase and end Bryan’s reign. This caused Bryan to feud with the Authority, who labeled him a “B+ player,” and Bryan feuded with Orton for the remainder of the year, before seemingly being moved onto a feud with the Wyatt Family. However, fans turned on the Royal Rumble match and eventual winner Batista, because Bryan was not included in the Rumble. This led to the Yes! Movement occupying Raw giving Bryan the opportunity to earn his way into the main event of WrestleMania XXX. Bryan had a great match with Triple H to open WrestleMania XXX, before winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title in the main event in a great feel good moment. Bryan had to undergo neck surgery in May, resulting in him being stripped of the title, and being out until Royal Rumble 2015. Bryan’s participation in the 2015 Royal Rumble caused fans to boo eventual winner Roman Reigns because they preferred Bryan. Bryan faced Reigns at Fastlane in a good match, before winning the Intercontinental Title in a ladder match at WrestleMania 31. Bryan would again face major injury, eventually leading to his retirement as a full-time in-ring competitor from WWE and his retirement speech in 2016. He currently serves as the GM of SmackDown. He is a Money in the Bank winner, a WWE Tag Team Champion, US Champion, IC Champion, WWE Heavyweight Champion and a three-time WWE Champion.

Promos/Character: Bryan is a capable promo, but played one of the more compelling characters the company has ever had. He captured lightning in a bottle with the Yes! Movement, and Bryan connected as a babyface in a way few ever had, forcing the company’s hand into putting him in the main event of WrestleMania XXX. He had other good character work with Team Hell No and the anger management class and his angle with AJ Lee. His retirement speech was a great heartfelt promo that was very memorable.

Workrate: Daniel Bryan is a terrific wrestler and on the short-list of the best workers the WWE has ever had. He’s terrific in every match and he has a nice list of classic matches as well. His match against Cena at SummerSlam 2013 is an all-time classic. The six-man match with Kane and Ryback against The Shield at TLC 2013 is another great one. He had good matches with Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt in late 2013 and early 2014 in the Authority angle. His match against Triple H in the opener of WrestleMania XXX is one of the greatest openers in company history.

Staff Thoughts: The goat-faced Daniel Bryan showed himself closer to the GOAT than a B-plus player with our voters. He’s a terrific in-ring wrestler putting on great matches with anyone he faced, particularly in 2013-14. Add to his list of classics the fact that he formed a connection with fans that only the top stars in company history have seen. Unfortunately, that fire burned bright, but burned out quickly due to injury. Still, echoing Bryan’s own words, fans were grateful for that run and had not expected the level of success he achieved in the WWE. This incredible brief yet hot streak resonated with our voters, who recognized his greatness in the ring and as a character. You can hear the guys talk more about Bryan on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “He’s definitely on my list. Probably top 20. He was getting Austin 98 level pops when no one thought we’d ever hear that kind of reaction again for current WWE talent. Promo skills were fine, came off as more an everyman than others but that was part of his appeal: he was the lovable underdog that everyone related to bc he worked his beard off having great matches while HHH and company kept him down bc he was too small. While it wasn’t by design at first, the Bryan madness from Rumble 14 to WM XXX will never be forgotten, IMO. Also deserves a special mention for the great Team Hell No run with Kane. A team that was entertaining that had no right to be.” – Dennis Nunez, May 29, 2017

“Even as an opener in PPVs with Ziggler and Miz, he was often in the best match of the night. He made Kane a watchable tag team partner. Live, he put on amazing tv performances (Cena match, Austin gauntlet, TLC handicap match). Insanely over for years DESPITE bad booking. Had many people’s greatest matches of their career (not his) during that time including losers like HHH and Bray Wyatt. Top ten candidate for me.” – Good Ol’ Will from Texas, May 29, 2017

“Great as both a heel and face and could work any style of match. He’s a little hurt by only being there for 5 years. That being said his connection to the crowd was insane. He was over huge as just plain old underdog Daniel Bryan but was as over as almost anyone ever as the robbed champion leading the yes movement.” – Aaron George, May 30, 2017

16. Brock Lesnar Total Points: 9,269 Total Ballots: 116 Average Rank: 21.4 High Vote: 3 Low Vote: 96 High Voter: Microstatistics

Nuance: Brock Lesnar had a two-year run with the company in 2002-2004, and has had a five-year run of extremely limited appearances, so longevity is his weakness in this project. He’s been both a babyface and a heel during his run, almost exclusively as a singles star. Brock Lesnar has a presence that makes him and his matches feel special, his aura means every match he’s in is a big match.

Jump Up Moments: Lesnar debuted in 2002, steamrolling through the Hardys before winning the 2002 King of the Ring and defeating The Rock for the WWE Undisputed title at SummerSlam. He then feuded with the Undertaker including a tremendous Hell in a Cell Match at No Mercy 2002. Lesnar turned babyface and won the 2003 Royal Rumble, facing Kurt Angle in a very good match at WrestleMania XIX, winning the WWE Championship. He feuded with Big Show in 2003, having good matches and collapsing the ring with a superplex. He renewed his rivalry with Angle, facing him at SummerSlam 2003 and on SmackDown in an Ironman Match, where Lesnar again won the WWE Championship. He lost the belt in a great match against Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004. He faced Goldberg at WrestleMania XX in a debacle memorable for fans turning on both guys. Lesnar returned to the company in 2012, instantly having a classic match with John Cena at Extreme Rules 2012. He then faced Triple H at SummerSlam 2012, WrestleMania 29 and in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules 2013. He had a classic match with CM Punk at SummerSlam 2013. Lesnar faced the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX ending his undefeated streak in one of the most shocking moments in company history. He then destroyed Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2014. Lesnar had a great match against Cena and Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble 2015. He then took Roman Reigns to Suplex City, Bitch, in an excellent match at WrestleMania 31, before Rollins cashed in to win the title. He would then battle the Undertaker at SummerSlam 2015 and in a Cell match at HIAC 2015. He faced Reigns and Dean Ambrose at Fastlane 2016 in a good match for the title shot at WrestleMania 32, which went to Reigns. At Survivor Series 2016, he faced Goldberg, losing in 1 minute 26 seconds, before gaining his revenge at WrestleMania 33 winning the Universal Championship one of the greatest sub-five minute matches ever. He defended the title in a good four-way match at SummerSlam and had a great champion vs. champion match against AJ Styles at Survivor Series. Lesnar is a Royal Rumble winner, King of the Ring winner, four-time WWE Champion and WWE Universal Champion.

Promos/Character: Brock has had limited promo time, usually being paired with Paul Heyman, who does his talking for him. But Lesnar has an aura of believability from his MMA background an in part due to his part-time schedule that few other performers have ever brought to the table.

Workrate: Lesnar’s list of great matches rivals anyone’s. The HIAC match against Undertaker at No Mercy 2002 is a top end Cell match. His match with Angle at WrestleMania XIX is best known for his missed shooting star press, but was an excellent battle before that, as was the SummerSlam 2003 match between the two. His match against Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out is excellent and provided a feel-good moment for Eddie. Upon his return, Lesnar had all-time classics with Cena at Extreme Rules 2012 and CM Punk at SummerSlam 2013. The three-way match at Royal Rumble 2015 is another great match. His match with Reigns at WrestleMania 31 is on the short-list of best Mania main events. The three-way match at Fastlane 2016 against Reigns and Ambrose was very good. His match with Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 was a great power match being exactly what it needed to be. In 2017, he had good matches at SummerSlam against Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman and against A.J. Styles at Survivor Series.

Staff Thoughts: Brock has an aura that no other wrestler has, partly because he’s a legit badass and partly because of his part-time schedule. Still, over the course of both stints, he has a list of classic matches that most would envy. Longevity and the fact that he doesn’t have more matches on PPV and TV to support his case are his only weaknesses. Still, Lesnar is a one of a kind attraction and has given us great matches in both the early 2000s and last few years, making him an easy top 100 wrestler. Hear the guys talk more about Brock on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “Part-time or not, the owner of three of the best WWE matches of the last 5 years (Cena ’12, Punk SummerSlam, Reigns Mania). Incredibly ratio of great matches in his limited appearances (rumble triple threat, fast lane triple threat, goldberg mania on top). Should finish high.” – Brad Warren, May 29, 2017

“His mystique is enormous. There are few other figures in wrestling history who could do what he does, cast the kind of shadow he casts. He’s capable of great matches and adaptable to different styles and opponents. He can talk, but he doesn’t need to. Only thing holding him back–and it’s a big one–is that he’s not around more. Imagine where he’d be on this list if he’d been full-time from 2002 forward.” – Ben Morse, May 30, 2017

“Brock will make my list. His biggest flaws are being a detriment to current WWE booking & that period in 03 when he was miscast as a babyface. Too many great matches & performances over the years to keep him off. ER 2012 vs Cena, Summerslam 2014 vs Cena, Summerslam 2013 vs Punk, RR 2015 triple threat, WM 31 vs Roman, & WM 33 vs Goldberg are all top 100 WWE matches of all time just in this run alone. He’s generally excellent in other matches that aren’t as great. He’s also a great promo (watch the Lesnar-Cena video package for Extreme Rules 2012).” – Devon Motivator Hales, May 30, 2017

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

[jesseseedath-blog-blog]

Anderson Silva Says It Was an Accident

Contrary to popular thought, athletes can’t sully great legacies by staying in the game too long and not knowing when to retire or stay retired.

They can damage their bodies and brains, perhaps, by not knowing when to quit but loving your craft so much…

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#action wwe #alberto del rio wins world heavyweight championship #Anderson Silva Says It Was an Accident #cm punk chris jericho payback #cm punk leaves paul heyman #cm punk mutton chops #cm punk supposed to debut new music #curtis axel #curtis axel his dad mr perfect #dolph ziggler concussion #free online wwe games #Jesse Seedath #latest wwe news #michael carbajal news 2012 #play wwe games #punk wolverine #randy orton pictures please #raw new theme song #released from wwe #rvd returns to wwe #Shawn Michaels #sheamus defeats sandow #smackdown 21st june results #team hell no done #tickets for wwe #what was so controversial about alberto del rio at payback #wrestle raw #Wrestleraw #Wrestleraw.com #wwe and wrestling

[lamzillasreelthoughts]

Royal Rumble 2013 Review

After the incredible business WWE did with The Rock at Wrestlemania 28, plans were quickly made to make him an important part of Wrestlemania 29. Despite the fact that he was still a full time actor, it was decided that the time was right to introduce him to the WWE Championship picture in January 2013. What made this match even more special was the fact that C.M Punk had been WWE Champion for 434 days heading into the event. With some incredible promos heading into the event (seriously, go check some of these out), it was time to see if the match could live up to the hype. From Phoenix, Arizona, it is the Royal Rumble!

1. Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: I have to admit, at the time, I had zero interest in this feud. Given the six years since, this match was better than I remembered it being. There is some good effort to make Show a scary giant, and Del Rio plays his best babyface of his career. It is somewhat difficult to buy Del Rio as a babyface, but they do a good job building sympathy. The ending is interesting, but Cena and Batista did it much better in 2010. Solid but unspectacular.

2. Team Hell No vs. Team Rhodes Scholars for the WWE Tag Team Championship: 2013 was a breakthrough year for Daniel Bryan, and he really shines in this match. The big issue with this match is that it never feels like Team Hell No are in danger of losing the match. All four guys bring a good effort, the match just feels more suited for an episode of Raw than a major PPV. Much like the last match, this is a solid effort, but is missing anything that would make it truly memorable.

3. The 2013 Royal Rumble Match: When I become president, my first order of business is to decree that John Cena is banned from competing in any Rumble matches that take place on January 27th, seeing as how both Rumbles he has won took place on that day. This match continues the unfortunate trend by not really being memorable. Sure, there is some fun stuff in here, but the predictability of this match is crippling. You can pretty much tell who is going to win, and there isn’t much drama in the match. The jobbers get tossed quickly, and the important people only stick around to get tossed out by Cena. Just as an example of how poorly booked this Rumble is, Goldust throws Cody BACK in the ring instead of trying to eliminate him. Overall, not very good, and probably just below 2015 as the worst of the decade.

4. The Rock vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship: This is one of those shows where everything has to take a seat to the main event. That would be fine, except Rock hadn’t been in a match since April of the previous year. As good as the promos were, Rock was never going to be able to get in ring shape in time for this match. He gets blown up quickly, and Punk works overtime to get the match through 25 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, they still put together a solid match that plays up that Punk has to use cheap tactics to fight Rock. Unfortunately, this match had so much hype that this still feels like a let down even six years later. As much as I want to like this match, I can’t bring myself to recommend it unless you want to see Rock win what will probably be his final WWE Championship.

Overall, this was not a very good show. With only four matches, there is so much filler that the shows almost feels longer because of it. None of the matches really stand out, and Cena winning the Rumble pretty much ruins the finish of the main event. The predictability on this show is overwhelming, and honestly, I’m not sure why this doesn’t pop up on more “Worst PPVs” lists. 2013′s road to Wrestlemania wasn’t very good, and this show sets taht bumpy path in motion. Skip this one.        

#2013 #Royal Rumble #the rock #cm punk #john cena #team hell no #alberto del rio

[emblem-333]

How I Would’ve Booked C.M Punk/The Rock/John Cena, 2012-13

C.M Punk is the longest reigning champion of the modern era in the WWE. His skills are unmatched despite his comparatively diminutive stature. Slaying giants like The Big Show, Ryback and John Cena in his title defense lasting over 400 days. Still, something haunts the champion. Despite all his success he’s never truly achieved what he deems is immortality.

Ever since being billed as the WWE’s number one product John Cena’s drawn the ire from many of the boys in the locker room, seeing him as the main obstacle to them getting their shot. Cena is without allies so much so that in a scheduled tag team match for Survivor Series against R-Truth and The Miz, Cena turns to a legend who has not wrestled in nearly a decade.

That legend is five-time WWE Champion The Rock. Now into his forties having dominated Hollywood with multiple blockbusters under his belt The Rock sets out to reconquer his old stomping grounds in the WWE. Rock wants a title match, but Vince McMahon tells the People’s Champ he’ll have to earn it. Rock initially is thrilled to work alongside John Cena as the two share a mutual respect. Before their match, after agreeing to be his partner for the main event, Rock meets C.M Punk who goads Rock into watching a heavily edited video of Cena taking down The Rock demeaning his abilities as a wrestler. During their match Cena goes for the hot tag only for Rock to return his hand and walk out on his desperate partner. R-Truth pins Cena and the match is loss.

Afterwards, Cena meets Punk asking what is it he told The Rock in their little talk. Punk smiles and promises it was nothing but one legend paying respects to another.

Two weeks before their WrestleMania match Cena is wrestling Kane on Monday Night War. Cena looks ready to put the match into the win column when Rock bursts out from backstage and delivers a vicious Rock Bottom to Cena. He drapes the Big Red Machine’s arm over Cena’s torso and the referee counts to three. Kane wins, Cena knows who it is who screwed him. The next night on Smackdown the two meet in the center of the ring to hash out their differences. Rock tells Cena he’s never liked or respected him. Deriding Cena’s accomplishments as a byproduct of having “everything handed to him on a silver platter.” Loving this Punk decides to stoke the flames seeing Rock as a threat to his title reign. Cena tells Rock once more he did not say the things Punk showed him on the doctored video to be saying, but Rock isn’t having it. He goes for a punch and this time Cena ducks, shifting to a Attitude Adjustment and laying out The Rock in the center of the ring.

At ‘Mania Rock and Cena go nearly a half-hour beating each other to a pulp. Rock breaks out of a Cena bear hug and after a double clothesline lay the two competitors flat in the center of the ring. At the end Cena is about to perform his finisher the Five-Knuckle Shuffle when The Rock kicks up and performs a Rock Bottom which is enough to win the grudge match and prove even in his advanced age he still can hang with the top talent.

As for Cena this loss knocks him down in the pecking order. At the next pay-per-view Cena is beaten down by the returning Brock Lesnar, losing to commentator Michael Cole (due to outside interference by Punk) and losing a number one contenders match to The Big Show. Cena tries to maintain a calm facade but desperately wants a rematch with Rock to regain the dignity he had prior to the heartbreaking loss. But Rock is not interested in Cena anymore. Rock is eyeing the WWE Championship and it’s holder C.M Punk. Entering the Royal Rumble Cena is one of the last two standing between him and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler’s valet and former girlfriend of Cena A.J Lee distracts him and leads to his elimination. Ziggler is given the right to pick who he’ll challenge at WrestleMania for either the World Heavyweight Title (Alberto Del Rio) or the WWE Champion (Punk).

Angered and further distraught Cena demands Ziggler fight him the next night on Raw only to be laughed out of the room.

C.M Punk lets his intentions known to the WWE fans two weeks before the Royal Rumble that he doesn’t care about the history of the business or what the fans think of him and his newfound nasty behavior. Defending himself claiming you have to scratch, claw and kick to stay on top for as long as he has. In his quest to transform to WWE from the inside Punk has turn bitter, embattled and mentally scarred. Trusting no one and shunning those who were once his most loyal followers. The Rock comes out to undress the champion and challenge him for the belt at the rumble.

C.M Punk is explicitly told before his title defense match by Vince McMahon that if The Shield is seen involving themselves in the match Punk will be disqualified and stripped of his title and given to his opponent. His manager Paul Heyman is panic stricken. His client is made of harder stuff.

The match is a classical back and forth, near the end Rock gains the upper hand and the worn out Punk is unable to keep his legs from buckling. Going in for the kill Rock is about to perform the People’s Elbow when the lights abruptly go out, when they come back on Rock is seen laying on the collapsed announced table out cold. Smiling Punk gives a look to the pleasantly surprised Heyman that says “I told you.” Punk rolls Rock back into the ring and gets the pin. His celebration is cut short by McMahon seeing through the facade and stripping Punk of his belt and giving it to The Rock. Angered beyond comprehension Punk proceeds to beat on the new champion until Rock regains his senses and reverses a G.T.S into a Rock Bottom.

Disgruntled at his loss, via D.Q, Punk takes to the ring to cut a vicious promo on Raw the next night verbally attacking Rock, the McMahon’s and refusing to leave the ring until he is guaranteed his rematch. The Rock comes out saying he has no qualms with giving Punk his rematch. But Rock wants Punk to say he is the WWE Champion and his reign is officially over. Punk is defiant saying he’s never loss and there is no proof of The Shield’s involvement to support McMahon swiftly stripping him of the belt. Punk says he’ll see McMahon in court. Two weeks later a ruling comes down that since nobody could have saw The Shield attack Rock that it could have been anybody, so the match is ruled a “No Contest” meaning Punk is still the world champion but Rock gets his rematch at Elimination Chamber.

At Elimination Chamber Cena is in a match to decide the challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania between Daniel Bryan, Jack Swagger, Randy Orton, Mark Henry and Kane. Cena eliminates Orton, Henry and Kane and wins by last pinning Jack Swagger. Cena is able to rise above this hurdle and win the match, however much to Rock’s dismay. Though Cena wants a shot at his WWE Championship, not the Heavyweight Title.

Rock and Punk’s match at Elimination Chamber is a carbon copy of the first, except the stipulation is this match is a no D.Q and The Rock is defiant he can take care of himself despite the superstars in the locker room warning him of the contrary. Rock again gets the upper hand on Punk is about to pin him for three and the title when Cena pulls him off and delivers a crushing punch to the nose of the challenger/champion before rolling him back into the ring. Punk salutes Cena for his assistance before pinning Rock. His celebration is again cut short when Cena re-enters the ring to perform an Attitude Adjustment on Punk and cuts a promo telling him he didn’t do this him, he did it to protect “us full-timers.”

Next night on Raw Punk keeps true to his word giving Cena a title shot and the two leave nothing to be desired both bloodied and beaten, the two are on their knees still throwing haymakers Cena eventually getting the upper hand. Cena obtains the necessary energy to perform an A.A when Rock crashes the match and punches Cena a few times before The Shield rushes out to tackle Rock and proceed to beat on him for a bit until the sound of glass shattering reverberates throughout the arena and former rival Stone Cold Steve Austin beats down The Authority delivering Stunner after Stunner until his momentum is halted by a spear courtesy of Roman Reigns. Rock retaliates by performing a Rock Bottom on Reigns. Throughout the commotion Punk is able to execute a G.T.S on Rock and leaves the ring.

A ruling comes down nullifying Dolph Ziggler’s victory at the Royal Rumble. Ziggler had pledged A.J would not be anywhere near ringside for the event. Having broke his oath Ziggler found himself on the outside looking in. The only way he could reclaim his spot is if he is victorious in a match between him and Ryback. Since John Cena already held a spot challenging for the World Heavyweight Title he was disqualified. Cena reaches out to Ziggler behind the curtain and offers his spot in ‘Mania for Ziggler’s position in the sudden death match. Ziggler accepts and Cena is in the match.

Cena wins by pinning Ryback, his dream realized. He will be challenging C.M Punk at WrestleMania. Only... Triple H needs a word. The match wasn’t officially sanctioned by the WWE involving Cena in Ziggler’s place. Cena is facing major repercussions for auctioning off his title shot and could potentially lose everything.

A week goes by, Punk still without a foe for WrestleMania decides as champion he then deserves the right to pick his opponent for the upcoming WrestleMania pay-per-view. He makes it known he wants to end the Deadman’s Streak and challenges The Undertaker to a title match. This causes Undertaker to come out and address Punk saying he isn’t “Man enough” to face him and in order to get a shot at him he must put his title on the line at ‘Mania versus Cena and Rock and then next year they’ll do it. Angered, Punk and his manager Paul Heyman steal Undertaker’s urn carrying Paul Bearers ashes. Telling Undertaker over satellite he’ll relinquish it back if he accepts his challenge. Having enough of the madness Vince McMahon comes out and derides Punk for his “thuggish” behavior. Claiming the champion isn’t conducting himself as one the WWE wants anything to do with. Punk dares Vince to fire him on the spot. Remembering the last time he tried to get the belt off of Punk resulted in a summer where he had two champions, Vince abruptly leaves to contemplate his next move.

A week later Punk is in a triple-threat against Randy Orton and Shamus. Punk looks as if he’s about to retain when the lights go out and Undertaker performs a choke slam on Punk. Orton gets the pin and the belt.

Disgusted at the injustice Punk demands a rematch seeing he’s found his partner for wrestling grandest stage. Triple H informs Punk he can have his match against Orton with the title on the line, if he returns the urn to the Undertaker beforehand. If he chooses not to, then ‘Taker will accept his challenge for a match at ‘Mania. Punk contemplates for a moment. To sweeten the offer, Triple H informs Punk if he wins at ‘Mania over Orton due to the fishy nature of his victory in the first place his title reign will be wiped from the history books and Punk will still be known as the defending champion extending his streak to 504 days.

Either decision will give Punk a chance at immortality. Punk decides it means more to end the Streak and is finally given his match against Undertaker at ‘Mania on the condition if he wins Punk will return the urn to him. Punk agrees and settles into his spot on the card. Meanwhile, Cena is frustrated there is no one for him to wrestle for WrestleMania. Victorious the match against Ryback Cena wants to regain the WWE Championship, seeing as he is unable to settle his scrabbles with Rock, C.M Punk and Randy Orton at this time he turns his attentions towards World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio.

McMahon informs Cena that Ryback is the winner of the Rumble and will pick between Del Rio and Randy Orton. Rock makes his plight known and demands a spot in one of the title matches. Ryback decides to face Del Rio, leaving the WWE Championship match vacant. Having had enough of the drama McMahon orders Rock and Cena to settle their disputes in the ring at WrestleMania winner gets a title shot on the same night.

WrestleMania 28 card

C.M Punk def. The Undertaker

John Cena def. The Rock

Randy Orton def. John Cena

C.M Punk delivers the ultimate gut-punch heard around the world by defeating Undertaker by escaping his grip before he could execute his “Last Ride” finisher by smashing his head with the urn. The Streak is over and Punk achieved immortality. Celebratory, Punk leaves the urn at the edge of the ring having no further use for it.

Rock and Cena leave it all inside the ring pummeling each other until neither can stand. Cena musters enough strength to kick up before Rock can deliver the People’s Elbow and performs a spin buster to get the pin and the championship match against Randy Orton. Cena offers a handshake to Rock as a way to bury the hatchet. Rock shakes his head and walks off.

Given only an hour of recovery time Cena is still able to muster up a fight against the champion Orton getting multiple near-falls. Orton surprises Cena with an RKO out of nowhere and pins Cena to retain. Though defeated Cena is cheered once back in the locker room regaining the respect of his peers. Cena makes a beeline to the Undertaker to pay his respects to the Deadman.

Rock shocks the audience the next night on Raw informing them of his retirement from wrestling. He congratulates Cena on his win against him and then Cena comes out and shakes the Brahma Bull’s hand as a show of respect. The crowd chants “Rocky Rocky Rocky” as Cena raises his hand and the People’s Champ walks up the ramp for the final time, a noticeable tear in his eye. Before he can turn around Punk pulls up and stares at Rock. Their icy glares bring the crowd to a hush. Rock extends his hand to Punk. In his hubris Punk reaches out to accept and is given a Rock Bottom as a parting gift.

#WWE #C.M Punk #John Cena #The Rock #How i Would Have Booked It #The Undertaker #The Streak #Elimination Chamber #Royal Rumble #WrestleMania #WrestleMania 28 #WrestleMania 29

[lamzillasreelthoughts]

Royal Rumble 2016 Review

After the disasters that were the 2014 and 2015 shows were, the Royal Rumble certainly needed something special to knock the 2016 show out of the park. Despite the fact that Roman Reigns was EXACTLY the guy that Vince McMahon would want to be champion, it was decided to try the Stone Cold push and pit Reigns against the boss. This would lead to Reigns defending his recently won WWE Championship on the line in the Royal Rumble match, with him also being the number one entrant. Could Reigns go the distance, or would the Authority have something up their sleeve? From Orlando, Florida, it is the Royal Rumble!

1. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship: What a great way to kick off this show. These two were some of the best workers on the main roster at the time, and both bring their A game in a hardcore brawl. The Rumble events are known for having great Last Man Standing matches, and this was no exception. A solid contender for match of the night.

2. The New Day vs. The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship: In 2016, the tag team division on the main roster was pretty weak, so it made sense that the two best teams would face each other here. These two teams always have great matches with each other, and this one is no exception. While they would go on to have even better matches in the future, this was still pretty awesome. A good quick pace, and some excellent false finishes make this one a good time.

3. Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE United States Championship: And here is where the show hits a lull. Kalisto was getting the Mysterio push in early 2016, and it is pretty obvious to see here. These two didn’t really have any chemistry, as Del Rio takes his opponent to school. Pretty slow, and lacking the heat of the previous two matches, this one is easily skippable, unless you’re curious about what makes a “good Lucha thing.”

4. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch for the WWE Divas Championship: Three months before stealing the show at Wrestlemania 32, we get this pretty disappointing match. Despite both being two of the best women in WWE, the booking really drags this match down. Charlotte plays the dominating heel, which doesn’t give much room for Lynch to show off how awesome she is. Even the post match angle makes Becky look disposable. Check out their more recent matches, and skip this one.

5. The 2016 Royal Rumble Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Now THIS is how you book a Rumble match. Despite Reigns entering first, the match is well paced, and keeps the drama and suspense at a high with an incredible amount of talent that feels like anybody can win the match. There is some great build to Wrestlemania, and other matches that would happen before Mania. The side stories all work, and the pace makes this a Rumble that can easily be watched in one sitting. Just as good as the opening match, and one of my favorite Rumble matches of all time.

Overall, this show is pretty damn good. Being three years removed, and watching it back subjectively, this was easily one of the best WWE shows of 2016. With three really good matches, this has to be considered one of the best Rumble shows of the last decade. While they ultimately screwed up that year’s Wrestlemania, this was a great first step on the road to the big dance. I’d give this a solid recommendation.        

#2016 #royal rumble #triple h #dean ambrose #roman reigns #wwe world heavyweight championship