Thursday, October 27, 2016

Spotlight: Hulk Hogan

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NOTE: This won't be a full biography. This is merely intended as a partial look at Hogan's career.

Alias:
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Mr. America
Sterling Golden
Terry Boulder
The Super Destroyer
Thunder Lips (Rocky III)

Nicknames:
Hollywood
The Fabulous
The Incredible
The Immortal
The Hulkster
The Unstoppable Force

Billed Height: 6' 8"

Billed Weight: 303 lbs.

Billed from: Hollywood, CA (as Hollywood Hogan), Venice Beach, CA (as Hulk Hogan), Washington DC (as Mr. America)

Trained by: Hiro Matsuda

Debut: 1977

Promotions worked for:
AWA
WWF
WCW
TNA
NJPW

Finishing Move:
Atomic Legdrop

Managers:
Lou Albano
Freddie Blassie
Miss Elizabeth
Jimmy Hart
Johnny Valiant

Championships/Awards:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion (x6)
WWE Tag Team Championship (x1) (w/Edge)
WCW World Heavyweight Champion (x6)
Royal Rumble Winner (1990, 1991)

Notable Feuds:
Roddy Piper
Bobby Heenan
King Kong Bundy
Paul Orndorff
Andre the Giant
Big Boss Man
Ted DiBiase
Slick
Randy Savage
Earthquake
Sid Vicious
Zeus
Mr. Delete repeated word
Sgt. Slaughter
Yokozuna
Ric Flair
Dungeon of Doom
The Giant
Arn Anderson
Lex Luger
Sting
Ultimate Warrior
Goldberg
Diamond Dallas Page
Kevin Sullivan

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Goldberg returning to WWE, Paige's WWE Status & Women's HIAC

Here we are, another week underway. As expected, there are plenty of rumors going around. I'll touch on the ones that really stand out to me, at the moment.

Let's start with the return of Goldberg. For years, many fans would question what would happen if there was "1 more match". The biggest scenario involved a Goldberg/Lesnar rematch. Most fans seem to agree that if the rematch were to happen, it had to be done properly. The one time these men faced each other, nobody gave a shit, especially the wrestlers themselves. When they had their match (WrestleMania), it was no secret that their contracts were coming to an end. Neither man had any intentions of staying in WWE.

Fans knew the match could go one of two ways. Either Lesnar & Goldberg would put on an epic match, wanting to go out with a hell of a bang, or they'd "phone it in". History shows that they picked the latter option. At the time, neither man really gave a damn if their match stunk the joint up or not. They were getting paid well, regardless of the outcome. The only saving grace of the match came when Steve Austin nailed a stunner on both men. Even then, that wasn't enough to remove the stench from that shithole of a match.

Since then, it's been questioned and/or speculated if we'd ever see Goldberg in a WWE ring again, let alone a rematch. When Lesnar first made his return, there were people that held out hope that Goldberg could eventually return. After all, WWE seems to have made amends with past superstars, such as Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, and even Ultimate Warrior.

Then, when their recent video game, WWE 2K17 (I think that's the title) had Goldberg as an option for the game, it brought even more speculation. As of Raw (October 10), it looked like a virtual guarantee when Paul Heyman challenged Goldberg to show up for next weeks Raw. It wasn't long afterwards when Goldberg confirmed he'd be at Raw.

Last I heard, a few details needed to be hammered out. By the sounds of it, it'll likely be figured out in time for Raw.

At the moment, a rematch between Lesnar & Goldberg is looking like it'll actually happen. Though, I'm not counting on it to happen yet. If I know WWE's thinking, they'll most likely save it for WrestleMania. After all, Lesnar's contract already allows him to work limited dates during a given year. I'm going to assume that Goldberg will likely work under a similar deal.

WWE's been doing that a lot with certain big names, as of late. Sting was supposed to work a similar deal before being hurt by Seth Rollins. Triple H is essentially working a similar deal. RVD's worked similar deals in the past. Undertaker's been on a similar contract for several years, now. No reason to think Goldberg would be any different.

Since they'll both likely have limited dates, WWE will want to take more time to let the big rematch build. Goldberg could appear at Survivor Series. Maybe he'll have a little action, like destroying a few guys, just to demonstrate that he's back and ready to destroy anyone in his path. Don't expect much out him, physically.

After all, he hasn't been in a ring in a long time. Being in shape isn't the same as being in ring shape. If he's going to put on a decent match, at all, he's going to need time to get into ring shape. Don't expect him to do too much, quite yet.

I just hope that their next match doesn't stink the joint up.

Next subject involves Paige. I'll go straight to the point and say this is one hell of a mess involving her. It's starting to remind me of a bad Jerry Springer episode.....not like there was ever a good episode. What the hell is this crap, anyway?

Didn't this start with heat because she became involved with Alberto Del Rio? That's how I seem to recall it, at the moment. Both of them were sent to different brands once WWE reactivated the brand extension. WWE was accused of trying to break them up. There were accusations, when Alberto was still in WWE, that he was "arrested" in an incident that may or may not have involved Paige.

Then, just a few months ago, they were suspended for violating the WWE's Wellness Policy. I think it was September when Alberto was able to leave the company. If memory serves me right, it was claimed that he had an "escape clause" in his contract, which gave him a chance to leave the company, so long as it was within a specified period of time. Simply put, he jumped on the chance to bail out.

Rumor had it that Paige had gotten some legal help to potentially try and get out of her contract. Not sure if this is legit or just rumor, so take it for what you will. It's also been mentioned that she's been having problems with a neck injury/neck problems. Not sure on the extent of her problems.

What I know is WWE has already suspended her for a second time for another Wellness Policy violation. Paige took to Twitter claiming, in a nutshell, that it's a bunch of bullshit. I'm just paraphrasing this, for the sake of time. I heard her dad took to Twitter in defense of her.

WWE's version, however, has a whole new version of events. While not being too specific, they are claiming it was over her taking something illegal. We can rule out marijuana, as that doesn't involved suspension.....last time I checked. That was supposed to be nothing more then a fine.

Whatever she's accused of taking, it's something far more serious. What she's accused of taking is unknown to me at this time. This leads me to ask if WWE is seriously trying to go after Paige to make some sort of point. Is WWE truly that vindictive? Is Paige deliberately trying to sabotage her career in WWE?  Is Alberto a bad influence on Paige? What the holy hell is going on here?

I said it before and I'll say it again. This feels like an episode from Jerry Springer.

Then we've got the Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View in a few weeks. At the moment, WWE is going to do at least three Hell in a Cell matches. One of those matches is going to be Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Title.

This has been rumored for awhile. It wasn't until Monday when WWE confirmed was actually going through with it. I'll give WWE credit for trying something ballsy. I can't recall ever seeing a woman's match in a cage. A Hell in a Cell match is definitely new. Not sure if this will be a good match or not. To be fair, there's only a small handful of HIAC matches that are truly memorable. Considering how dangerous the match can be, the question worth asking is how far WWE will allow the women to go.

If WWE wants fans to truly believe that the women are on the same level as the men, they'll have to give plenty of leeway. Obviously, the won't let it go as far as the Undertaker/Foley HIAC match. As much as I loved the Attitude Era, overall, I don't think most of it should be repeated either.

As long as we can avoid a disaster like the Kennel in a Cell match, I'll most likely be happy with the match.

WWE appears to be taking women's wrestling far more seriously now then it ever did in the past. We're finally at the point where women like Sasha Banks and Charlotte are putting on matches just as good as the men. It wasn't that long ago when they main evented Raw.

If WWE can make the Cruiserweight Division look that good, I'm going to be able to be a happy man.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

greatest of all time?

At one time or another, we've heard these arguments. I'm pretty sure we've all been in this argument, at one point or another. Pretty safe bet we've all got different views on this. Is there any way of proving just who the greatest of all time really is?

After all, there are so many generations of wrestlers throughout the years. Most of them will eventually be forgotten, after enough time has elapsed. If you want examples, how many people are familiar with George Hackensmidt? Lou Thesz? Gorgeous George? Ed "Strangler" Lewis?

Most fans might be familiar with those names, but that's about it. Fans would generally have to Google their names to have any clue who they are.

Now, let's try newer names. Vergne Gagne? Larry "The Ax" Hennig? Nick Bockwinkel? The Crusher? Mad Dog Vachon? Older fans will likely have fond memories of guys like this at different events. Even my dad, who was more of a casual viewer, remembers seeing the old AWA stars at a gas station he was working, during the 70s. He has a harder time remembering who all of them were, due to so much time passing, but that's to be expected.

I have a few memories of the older stars, but most of them were at the point they should've retired years ago (when I was first watching) or they were just coming close. Most of them had long since been past their glory when I saw my first match in the 80's.

This brings me to the next few examples. Hulk Hogan? Ric Flair? Dusty Rhodes? Harley Race? The Von Erichs? Fabulous Freebirds? These names would've been well known to my generation. In the case of Flair, Rhodes, and Race, they would've been familiar with older fans as well. Slightly younger fans would probably remember Hogan when he jumped ship to WCW or helped to form the NWO.

For fans in my generation, we'll remember moments like Hogan slamming Andre at WrestleMania 3, the formation of the 4 Horsemen, Rhodes' "hard times" promo (I believe you can still find it on YouTube), and various other moments.

Add another 10 years or so and fans even younger will remember the formation of the NWO, the Monday Night Wars, the Attitude Era and many things more.

The current generation of fans might be familiar with many of the people I've named. Some of these guys are occasionally seen in managerial roles, such as Ric Flair. Some, such as Dusty Rhodes, they've seen in segments involving different wrestlers. Some may have watched old matches on the WWE Network, YouTube, or DVDs.

Speaking of greats, who are considered the greats now? John Cena? Randy Orton? Triple H?

Attitude Era fans would probably count Undertaker, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and others.

This leads me to ask the all important question. Can we accurately determine who the greatest really is? Not 100%. Most people that are being honest will admit that it's really determined on a generation by generation basis. With so many names to look up, there's no way most fans can accurately figure this out.

Historians likely can't answer this 100%. About the best anyone can do is give their opinions on who they think is the greatest, based off a variety of factors. This would include who were the biggest draws of their era, length of title reigns, how many titles they held, if they had memorable and/or historic matches and so on.

Even then, is there any way of truly determining who the greatest were? I doubt it. Perhaps, if time allows, I could go into why I feel certain people should be given credit.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

No Mercy predictions

The Smackdown Live PPV is coming on us on Sunday. For the hell of it, I'm going to take a shot at this and try to make a few predictions.


Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
I predict Nikki takes the win with a pinfall. This feels like a piss break for me.

Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin
Since this early in their feud, I can't imagine Swagger getting a victory quite yet. Corbin will either win by pinfall, likely through bullshit methods, or Swagger gets a Count Out/DQ victory. Something has to happen to keep this going.

Smackdown Tag Team Title Match
Usos vs. Rhyno & Heath Slater(champions)
Considering what's been going on with the Usos, American Alpha, and Rhyno &Slater, I expect two potential results. This will either end up as a draw/double DQ because American Alpha interferes, attacking the Usos. Or, they end up helping Rhyno & Slater pick up the victory against  the Uso, with Rhyno gaining the pinfall on either member of the Usos.

Either way, I don't see the challengers getting the belts quite yet.

Smackdown Woman's Title Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch(champion)
Feels too early for Becky to drop the belt, quite yet. Typically, WWE doesn't have someone like Alexa to win titles too soon after coming on the main roster. I know it happens on occasion, but not often.

Becky will likely retain after Carmella interferes, causing a DQ. If that doesn't happen, Nikki will likely stop her from screwing things up.

Intercontinental Title vs. Career Match
Dolph Ziggler (Career) vs. The Miz (champion) w/Maryse
There have been rumors of Ziggler being prepped for a backstage role, presumably along the lines of road agent. Honestly, I feel Ziggler's been stale for a long time while Miz has really been hitting his stride. Perhaps Miz is on his way to making a new record, beating Honky Tonk Man's old record.

No matter what, I don't imagine Ziggler winning. Miz somehow manages to retain the title.

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton
What's there to say about this match? It'll probably be like every big match that Bray has. He'll probably be on the losing end of this, like most of his really big matches. Why would anything change now?

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
AJ Styles (champion) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena
This could be the hardest to predict. Cena's been booked to potentially tie Ric Flair's record of 16-time World Title record (which is closer to 22 or 23, but I digress). Yet, AJ and Dean have both had some solid victories over Cena.

I think this is AJ's first PPV defense. I don't see him dropping the belt right away. Somehow, AJ walks out as champion. Most likely, he'll get the pinfall on Ambrose, which will keep Cena's momentum going strong. I don't see this hurting Ambrose.