Bleacher Report - Articles by Alberto Cortez

A Breath of Dead Air? Undertaker Vs. CM Punk

Alberto Cortez — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:28:42 -0400

CM Punk is coming off a tremendous feud with "The Charismatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy, which I rated in my previous article, and it looks the WWE Universe is now going to be treated to a CM Punk/Undertaker feud.

CM Punk is currently at the top of the heap on Smackdown and in recent months due to his rivalry with Hardy he has transformed into a great heel. CM Punk became over-confident, self-righteous, preachy, but he is also cynical and ruthless.

After a three-month back and forth title chase with Hardy, which was entertaining while it lasted, I for one welcome the changing landscape of Smackdown with the return of The Undertaker after a five-month absence since Wrestlemania 25.

Undertaker's shocking return at Summerslam after the TLC Match between Punk and Hardy, ironically and literally taking Hardy's place on the canvas from underneath Punk who was standing over his fallen foe.

Then it happened; the crowd lit up with joy as the lights went out and Undertaker's trademark "gong" hit, CM Punk looked flustered and pain-stricken, the lights came back on shortly and The Undertaker was nowhere in sight, for the moment a sigh of relief sprang on his face and demeanor until he looked back down at who he thought was Hardy—hell I didn't even notice it was Undertaker right away either.

My mind was already rushing with ideas of possible encounters between The Straight-Edged Superstar and The Phenom, a match at WWE Breaking Point, rematches on subsequent Smackdowns, creating more heat and further developing their storyline until maybe dare I say a Hell in the Cell match down the line?

Most importantly for me, it's a breath of fresh air (my title is an ironic wordplay in reference to the Undertaker as "The Deadman"). It's a welcomed change from the Hardy/Punk storyline.

While very entertaining; when you mix Jeff's high flying daredevil antics, and Punk's promos, quick feet and his innovative ring versatility, I was starting to get tired of seeing the same two guys fill up Smackdown's main event scene since Wrestlemania (Hardy has headlined almost every PPV since Wrestlemania, and Punk was involved in the last four PPVs starting with WWE Extreme Rules when he cashed in his MITB contract).

Better yet, it's a great way to bring back The Undertaker who might be rumored to retire at next year's Wrestlemania, and it might mean a possible final World Heavyweight Championship run for a man who's been with the company for close to 20 years.

WWE's creative team has a chance to make something very special here if they don't drop the ball.

I mean come on. You have the ring savvy of both men, Punk's incredible heat from the Hardy feud, The Undertaker's amazing theatrics and you have matches that will produce instant classics as long as they don't make illogical swerves or end the feud before it has matured.

If done correctly, it will prove to everyone that The Undertaker still has it prior and leading up to his retirement, and that CM Punk can run with the big dogs, but in the end this feud essentially will be more about putting CM Punk over.

Just like Undertaker did for Randy Orton a few years back, or what he tried to do for Mr. Kennedy, or last year's Jeff Hardy/ Undertaker classics. Whoever the competitor The Undertaker has always been able to put new stars over with the fans, and is great at selling those matches—remember his clashes with Vladimir Kozlov (I don't particularly like Kozlov but The Undertaker made him look "that good").

Fact of the matter is if you want respect as a main-eventer from the WWE Universe, especially for up and coming wrestlers who are upgrading from the mid-card status you need "beat the top dog in the yard", and Smackdown is as The Undertaker would say "his yard".

All in all, I'm looking forward to it and see how it plays out, so tune into Friday Night Smackdown if you want to see the best thing going today in sports entertainment.

Here is a link to my previous article which I mentioned above, "Under The Microscope: Rating The CM Punk/ Jeff Hardy Feud"

Under the Microscope: Rating the CM Punk/ Jeff Hardy Feud

Alberto Cortez — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:01:12 -0400

At Summerslam, CM Punk would yet again, win his third world heavyweight title and this time he did so without the MITB Contract, further establishing himself as a main-eventer and the next top guy. CM Punk's long rivalry with the dethroned champion Jeff Hardy was well played, but at times became very stale.

After CM Punk cashed in his MITB contract this year at WWE Extreme Rules, after Hardy’s epic match with Edge, we all knew it was the start of something special, a heel turn for a then face CM Punk. Although Punk lost the title at WWE "Night of Champions" shortly after (which I still don't understand why they didn't just leave the title on Punk), this feud helped establish Punk as a top star and Hardy as a champion.

Punk and Hardy's ring-work was phenomenal. During their series of match-ups, it was the mic work that drew my ire. Although CM Punk made the transition from face to heel so gradual, it seemed authentic. Many fans were still aching to see him turn full fledged heel. His mic work was very good; he has a way of speaking down to the WWE universe that makes him easily hated, especially because, in a sense, he is right.

His promos made me hate Punk, like I hated the preachy guidance counselors in high school, or that church lady who thinks she knows what’s best for everyone because she genuinely feels she is better than everyone, or any other self-righteous person who just lives to preach. Classic; not many performers can evoke a reaction like that, one which is not only meant to insult, but evoke thought.

Hardy on the other hand, has terrible Mic work; great wrestler, but when he gets on the mic I feel embarrassed for him. He tries hard, but it just doesn't come natural to him, like for Punk or even Jeff’s older brother Matt. I felt like he had a sore throat every time he got on the mic, and usually the only thing I could really decipher from his promos was his "live in the moment" line.

Now, don’t think I am knocking Hardy, I respect him and was thrilled when he finally got his act together so the WWE could give him a halfway decent push. Although his Mic skills aren't where they need to be for a main-eventer, he has other qualities which made him good on-screen.

All personal communication analysts agree that body language speaks louder than words. Jeff has great body language and he leaves it all in the ring on top of that, so he is entertaining to watch.

His feud with CM Punk was very mic-heavy and was very stale because of it. Although Punk could carry the audience, Hardy failed to emote, and failed to evoke the necessary crowd reaction.

Now when things got more physical, they got interesting. Hardy can sell better than anyone, and this made the feud interesting to watch. I will give Hardy some credit, although his final promo, the Smackdown before Summerslam, when he was sitting on top of the 30 ft. ladder was entertaining, not the best I’ve ever seen, but one of his best.

Their match at Summerslam was classic. Hardy definitely gave Punk a match that will stop the critics from calling him a transitional champion, or stating that without the MITB contract he wouldn’t be a champion. The awesome twist ending with the return of The Undertaker, was well played and the signal of the end of Jeff Hardy’s feud with Punk and the end of his title chase (as he is set to go on a hiatus) and the beginning of a new rivalry between Punk and Taker.

After three straight PPV’s with Punk vs. Hardy (and five PPV's where Hardy was in a world title match), we are all ready for some fresh air.

All in all, it was a much more entertaining storyline then the John Cena vs. Randy Orton storyline on Raw or anything going on in TNA. So for that, the quality of the heat CM Punk received, and even the inclusion of Matt Hardy and John Morrison into the storyline, I give it 4 out of 5 Stars.

How the WWE Won a War They Created and the End of "Rasslin" Territories

Alberto Cortez — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:51:31 -0400

This Article is a response to FRANK's articles about the Great Raids of Wrestling if anyone hasn't read it I suggest you do so now... it was a Great Freaking Article! I loved it man, kind of like a brief history of the death of regional wrestling territories and the push for National Expansion by Vince and the WWF (WWE).

I liked how Frank made the Gagne/ Hogan clash the focal point of the fate of small wrestling territories, one wonders if Gagne would have backed off of Hogan, let him carry the AWA strap as a true face and not request a high percentage of all merchandise and royalties, if the AWA would still be alive and kicking today, as well as other promotions.

Mid-South may have been the eventual winner of the war if this scenario played out considering their immense talent pool of both old-school and new-age wrestlers.

But like many have said before, any of these promotions could have made it to the top if they had a Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. to run things. His ambition, drive, vision, passion and ingenuity and disregard for the health of the business as a whole led to his success.

Vince buried regional "Rasslin", and turned his promotion into the International Face for "Professional Wrestling," he created the image, made it mainstream, and kept it interesting enough to beat all competitors for more than 25 years.

WCW, while they had the money, the power of network syndication, and prime-time cable TV slots, lost it all due to over-confidence, under-management, and stale storylines which always saw the same handful of wrestlers get their shots at main-eventing.

ECW was the last regional powerhouse, their departure from NWA by Shane Douglas' discarding the NWA Heavyweight Title in favor of the ECW title was historic, and led to a different direction in wrestling, something that was edgy, real, hardcore, drenched in sex appeal and so counter-culture that the masses of fans who had become accustomed to campy WWE and stale WCW programming were instantly drawn.

While ECW did try to go national, as a start up promotion with little capital, owner Paul Heyman was unable to create the revenue needed to push his vision into the mainstream and keep the promotion afloat, often leaving many performers unpaid until they were frustrated and left for greener pastures.

A lot can be said for the talent, and how "raiding" smaller territories for their big stars put them out of business, well that's true, but Vince also stole or repackaged ideas and sold them better to the masses, making them not only more popular, but also marketable, and more accessible to the public.

He even went as far as having a "good faith" initiative by promoting ECW on WWE programing, in a way trying to put them in the mainstream and keeping them afloat in a crucial period in their war with WCW. Many still don't understand this move by Vince during 1997, but I have a theory which makes perfect sense.

ECW was doing everything at that point that WWE had not, ECW was in a way more diabolical, and more of a guilty pleasure to view then the traditional WWE empire, and this is because of all the reasons I stated above. It just so happens that current generation of fans, especially males 13-24 years old gravitated towards the entertainment factor ECW provided that WWE could not.

In many way ECW was revolutionary, and rather then seeing this as an obstacle that had to be crushed like so many before, instead Vince groomed the ECW for a short while to ensure their popularity and increase their chances of staying in business so two things could happen.

The first was to study them under a microscope and re-use, re-package, and makeover storylines, angles, and etc that made ECW seem extreme and successful.

With the addition of stars like Stone Cold and The Rock to play out the type of show Vince wanted and create the "Attitude Era," he could accomplish the latter of his two reasons for having a working relationship with ECW, and that was beating WCW.

WCW themselves had the purchasing power to draw away the biggest stars from rival promotions including the WWE, like for example, Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Lex Luger, Curt Hennig, Randy Savage, Jeff Jarrett, Bret Hart and they in a way "raided" some of the best talents in the industry.

WCW also imported Japanese wrestlers and Mexican luchadores and showcased them on American television as no one had done before, creating something that until their demise was unique, their Cruiserweight Division.

Their only downfall was that they didn't capitalize on all their advantages, such as having Ted Turner's financial backing, an incredible pool of talent (most of which was misused or unused), successful storylines and angles (i.e., Starrcade 97 which was built up to be possibly the most anticipated match up in WCW's history but due to poor execution lead to WCW slip in the ratings, also the over-saturation of NWO and NWO-like entities made it a tedious prolongation of an angle that could have been done right, and should have neded years prior) and marketing their young talent (aside from Goldberg, none of the other young talents like Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr., or Dean Malenko were getting the pushes they deserved).

In the end a merger with AOL ended what was left of WCW to be purchased off by Vince McMahon, and I don't believe that AOL truly thought that WCW didn't appeal to their culture of business, it was merely just business.

WCW didn't have the success or the fans they once had in 1996 through 1998, they weren't making a profit, and AOL cut their losses.

Too many things led to the demise of wrestling territories, and the elimination of the remainder of older promotions like Jim-Crocket Promotions (WCW) and ECW from their bids to go National.

The NWA although struggling, remains alive, even without the territories they depended on to continue business, and we have Indy promotions that are steadily gaining larger audiences like Ring of Honor, and we even have another contender for National Expansion against the WWE in TNA (although they are far away from being a threat in their current Post-WCW like traits and follies, ultimately they will go out of business too if they follow WCW's path of destruction).

TNA, a brainchild of Jeff and Jerry Jarrett, set out to set themselves apart from the WWE and did that with many respects to their younger history with the X-Division and putting up and coming talent over as main NWA Heavyweight Title (prior to the split from NWA) contenders.

They also did something that most promotions hadn't done prior to them, was rebuild, re-image and sometimes re-establish Ex-WWE talent and build them up to Main Eventers when in the WWE they weren't given the chance either during their WWE run or towards the end of it (i.e. Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Christian, Rhino, Matt Morgan, Ron Killings, Raven etc.) with a few exceptions that weren't so popular like Mick Foley and "Cute" Kip James.

TNA has a long way to go before it could ever compete seriously with the WWE especially if they are exhibiting the same symptoms that WCW suffered in its last run but maybe they can stick around a while and make things interesting.

All in all, Vince changed the business, who knows maybe for the better, but I've always been glad of the product the WWE produces, even though I do watch AWA matches on ESPN Classic, and YouTube whatever else I can find in wrestling's early "Bronze Age" and appreciate the quality of the matches and promotions that are no longer existent thanks in part to Vince McMahon.

Being David... The Von Erich Legacy and Tragedy

Alberto Cortez — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:44:27 -0400

This legendary family of wrestling is notable not because of any brother rivalry, but because of the tragedies these five brothers endured under the pressure of being great. Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris Von Erich, second generation stars and sons of Fritz Von Erich, all endured their share of heartache.

Kevin, the oldest, is the last remaining member of the Von Erich family and had to endure loss after loss. He was the first to make his debut in World Class Championship Wrestling in 1976 as “The Golden Haired Warrior”—he wrestled barefoot and was a crowd favorite.

Soon after he was joined in June of 1977 by his younger brother, David, who was considered by many fans as the “breakout star” (much like Jeff Hardy). David was known as “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” and was a rising star who main-evented among the ranks of Harley Race and Ric Flair.

Kerry started his career in 1979 in NWA Texas before joining his brothers in WCCW. He was introduced as “The Modern Day Warrior” and was probably the most athletically-tuned of all the Von Erichs—and the only one to win a major title (the NWA Heavyweight title in 1984).

Mike had a rather short career, starting off in 1984 and ending in 1987. He was the only Von Erich who truly did not want to wrestle or be in the limelight. He actually started off working in his fathers' WCCW promotion as a cameraman, until he was forced into the ring in 1984.

Chris was the youngest, smallest, and least athletic Von Erich; he grew up idolizing his father and brothers and yearned for the same success and popularity that had made his family synonymous with wrestling in Texas. He debuted in 1990 after doing various odd jobs for his fathers' WCCW promotion.

Tragedy struck on February 10, 1984, when David—the star of the family who was touring in Japan, and considered to be next in line to win the NWA Heavyweight Title—was found dead from mysterious causes.

The family claims it was a heart attack caused by intestinal complications. Others like Ric Flair claim it was a drug overdose, and other wrestlers covered up by destroying evidence at the scene of his death.

Following David’s death, Kerry won the NWA Heavyweight Title from Ric Flair on May 6, 1984 at The David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions show. Later on, younger brother Mike was forced into the ring by his father, Fritz to replace David in the Von Erichs feud with the Fabulous Freebirds.

Mike, bearing a striking resemblance to David, felt the pressure of being David and filling his shoes.

Mike suffered a shoulder injury during a match in 1985, and underwent surgery to repair the injury. Several days after his release from the hospital, he suffered Toxic Shock Syndrome, due to a staph infection suffered because of his surgery.

Because of his bout with TSS, Mike lost a significant amount of weight, and was reported to have even suffered some brain damage.

Due to this, he was not the same physically and was unable to perform on the same level as before, and due to the minor brain damage, his promos were often slurred or incoherent.

Due to his depression with his condition, and the constant pressure and stress of living in David’s shadow, Mike started abusing drugs and alcohol, leading to erratic behavior according to friends and family.

He had his last match in 1987 against Brian Adias, but shortly after he was arrested on a driving while intoxicated charge.

On April 12, 1987, he left a suicide note at his family’s estate, and was found dead four days later; it was an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol.

Chris was the scrappy, young Von Erich, eager to succeed, but with limited athletic ability and training (and according to family and various sources, he suffered from asthma and a degenerative bone condition which made him extremely fragile and prone to injury).

Chris never garnered as much success as his older brothers, and due to his small stature (5'5", 150lbs.), there was little he could accomplish in the ring. He was like his older brothers before him, David, Kerry, and Mike, and abused alcohol and drugs.

After the deaths of David, and especially Mike, he became depressed and frustrated over his lack of success. It finally caused him to take his life on September 12, 1991, as a result of a gun shot to the head.

Kerry was still a success after his short lived stint as NWA Champion that lasted only 18 days (it is reported NWA officials only allowed Kerry a brief stint as an honor to David Von Erich, and did not want to keep the strap on Kerry due to his well-documented history of drug abuse).

But Kerry became rather reckless and furthered his addiction to drugs, causing him to lose his right foot by amputation in 1986 due to a motorcycle accident in which he was under the influence of narcotics.

Despite his personal problems, he continued wrestling for various promotions before finally arriving in the WWE in 1990, as a highly popular, mid-card babyface.

He won the WWE Intercontinental Championship from "Mr. Perfect" on August 27, 1990 at Summerslam. He held the title for three months before losing the title back to "Mr. Perfect." He continued his run as a successful mid-carder until his eventual release in the summer of 1992.

He ended his career in GWF and had his last match on February 12, 1993. Six days later he shot himself in the chest after being indicted on a drug charge.

The day before Wrestlemania XXV, The Von Erichs were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The honor was accepted by Kevin Von Erich, the oldest brother and last survivor of the Von Erich wrestling legacy.

A great wrestling family destroyed by their own fame—and the pressure to succeed—that led them down very dark paths of self-destruction. Who knows where they all would be if David hadn’t died—if the grief and pressure to live in his shadow wasn’t too much for the others to overcome.

Drugs and sorrow filled their lives where instead there should have been success and happiness. It goes to show that although these men constantly put their bodies on the line to entertain us, they are flawed, and not superhuman—merely entertainers, men, brothers, sons, and fathers.

An Editorial Response To: The Real Reason Hart Left the WWE

Alberto Cortez — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:20:11 -0400

Everyone needs to remember is that Vince is and always has been primarily a business man. His comments on Off The Record were Vince's words (hearsay) of the events that led to Bret Hart's departure, and as such they were very self-serving and primarily geared to salvage whatever fan-base the WWE had lost due to the fallout of the Montreal Screwjob.

I am a big Hart fan, and in a perfect world I would have wished that both sides were more willing to come to an agreement, but both sides were at fault for the events that transpired.

You can listen to that interview and believe that Hart was no-showing events, and causing problems backstage, and however valid those types of rationalizations may be, I doubt that that it is the reasons Vince let Bret leave the company and jump ship.

I think it had more to do with the fact Vince no longer needed a superstar like Bret, with the dawn of the anti-hero's like Austin and to a lesser extent DX and The Rock, it was hard for Vince to make Hart seem, or remain relevant to the new generation of WWE fans.

This was a time when shows like Jerry Springer were invading homes and skyrocketing in ratings, and the wrestling business has always been a mirror of what is relevant in pop culture, just like the tastes of their viewers, WWE changed its image, its approach and the way they did business.

The problem with Hart is that he was true to his beliefs, and did not want to be "a part of the smut", pushing the envelope week to week, he did not like what wrestling had turned into, and in retrospect its easy to see why he felt that way.

Bret was an old school wrestler, who was around since the golden days in WWE's history, and even before then he was proudly apart of a traditional territorial promotions like his father's Stampede Wrestling.

Bret Hart took pride in his character, it defined him as a performer and a man and to ask him to be anything but the Hitman was a slap in the face to the legacy that he had built for himself and the WWE.

Although Bret allowed himself to be portrayed as an Anti-American in his final days at the WWE, he took pride in his character, even if he had compromised his beliefs in order to do so.

On many occasions Hart has stated that this era in his career was very bizarre, but fun, although he regrets doing the angle saying that it wasn't "me" and sometimes he was urged to go too far, he felt uncomfortable doing many of the promos but ultimately he knew it was his fault for going along with it.

In retrospect Hart felt Vince deliberately sabotaged his career due to this angle, losing many of the fans in the US that had come to adore Hart.

Vince thought that there was simply nothing that they could continue using Hart for when the WWE had Michaels, Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H and Mankind as their main stars, and those stars were not afraid to "go there."

Vince was desperate to beat WCW in the Monday Night Wars, and that led to some hasty decisions on his part in order to keep the company alive.

The only way he could see the company pulling ahead of WCW was not by buying new talent, or spending tons of money on advertising, but instead on pushing the envelope on anything the WWE could get away with.

They incorporated a more hardcore appeal, storylines that were racy and even controversial, and propelled the stardom of its talents by any means necessary, and so it was that we had an "Attitude" Era.

As to whether or not Bret was aging and failing in the ring, I urge anyone to check out any of his matches in 1997 including Wrestlemania 13, Summerslam 1997, or even the Motreal Screwjob itself and tell me if you believe if that statement is valid. If he was hurt, in my opinion he was hiding it well.

In response to his behavioral issues, the only instance I've ever heard of as far as backstage friction was between Hart and Michaels and yes it was heated and at times did lead into an altercation or two in which things got physical.

None of that should be news to any wrestling fan, their backstage rivalry is well documented, but Hart alone was not at fault, HBK had a very troubled past with The Hitman and he now admits that "he was and angry young man" and let his ego and pride do unsavory things in regards to his relationship with his rival.

Vince merely singled out Bret as a scapegoat in his interview to show the world that there was justification for his treatment to his long time employee.

Vince is first and foremost a business man, Hart was a wrestler who was hungry and greedy for respect, not money. Finances essentially played the smallest role in this tangled web of betrayal.

Now, I can't blame either side, McMahon or Hart for making the decisions that they made, both loved the business, and to this day they believe that they did right thing.

Many may call McMahon a "two-faced liar", or Hart a "baby" for not wanting to concede, to a point that the Montreal Screwjob happened, but we must understand that until we walk a mile in either man's shoes we cannot judge them.

Thank you Daltonio Alexander for your article and for sparking great discussion. His article can be read here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/151190-the-real-reason-bret-s-hart-was-released

Andrew "Test" Martin's Most Memorable Moments in the WWE

Alberto Cortez — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:59:44 -0400

Andrew "Test" Martin was found dead yesterday in his Tampa Bay FL apartment, and I know a lot of writers on the B/R community have written about his death already. I am not here to make an obituary for Test, instead I decided the best way to honor him is by highlighting some of my favorite Test moments and matches and sharing them with you all.

Test's Debut: The Rock vs. Triple H w/ Chyna; WWE Championship Title match (WWE "RAW" December 14, 1998):

During this particular match, The Corporation's Champion, The Rock, defended his WWE Title against Triple H. This match would also include outside interference by Chyna and Commissioner Shawn Michaels (who was then working for The Corporation).

But it was the debuting Test who delivered a pump handle slam to Triple H to assure the victory for The Rock. Test would be introduced as The Rock's bodyguard and join The Corporation after his debut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DcLTbD2fhs

Test vs. The Big Boss Man, Mideon, and Viscera (WWE "RAW" May 3, 1999):

In this particular segment, during Shane McMahon's reign as leader of The Corporation, Test left the group (along with other ex-Corporation members) due to the fact he felt "misused" and wasn't getting the attention he deserved.

As punishment, Shane ordered this three on one handicap match to send a message.

But Test pulled out all the stops and beat The Corporation, although after the match a vicious beat down of Test began, untill The Union (Mankind, The Big Show, and Ken Shamrock) came to his aide signaling and extending a membership to Test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCDYfuiowY

Test vs. Shane McMahon in a "Love Her Or Leave Her Match Street Match (WWE "Summerslam 1999" August 22, 1999):

Test fought Shane who was not happy with Test's budding relationship with Shane's younger sister Stephanie.

The two settled their differences in a street match in which the stipulation was if Shane won, Test would leave Stephanie and stop pursuing her romantically. If Test won, Shane would have to back off Test and Stephanie's relationship.

The match also included interference from the Mean Street Posse who interfered on behalf of their friend Shane McMahon. Test managed to win this grueling match against his adversary and finally gained a measure of revenge and respect.

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2omUmdnxhsU

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWiBQIujOtw

Test vs. Triple H; WWE Championship Match (WWE "RAW" November 8, 1999):

Newly crowned WWE Champion Triple H was a thorn in the side of Mr. McMahon, and he decided to stack the deck against him by giving his future son-in law a title match against Triple H in one of Test's only WWE Heavyweight Title shots. Who can ask for a better wedding present?

This widely forgotten match took place three weeks prior to the Test-Stephanie wedding and was widely in favor of Test, as Mr. McMahon was the official time keeper, and Shane McMahon was the referee.

Test had the match won after some interference from the McMahon men, but DX interrupted the pin cover on the Titantron with a live feed of them assaulting Stephanie McMahon backstage. Test and both McMahon men left the match to defend her while leaving Triple H with title intact.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2snoz_test-vs-triplehwwe-title_sport

Test and Stephanie McMahon's Wedding (WWE "RAW" November 29, 1999):

This is one of the most remembered moments in Raw history. Test was supposed to marry Stephanie McMahon, but Triple H had plans of his own. He crashed the party and revealed that he had in fact drugged and married Stephanie in a drive thru wedding ceremony as Raw went off the air.

It was later revealed that Stephanie was in on it and turned on Test. Ushering in a new era in wrestling—the McMahon-Helmsly Era, which devoted itself to bending the WWE to its will and messing with Test any chance they got.

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTgkOMCuuQ

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_K6crA9e8w

Test and Albert with Trish Stratus (T&A) vs. The Dudley Boyz (WWE "Backlash 2000" April 30, 2000):

Test found himself tagging with former training mate Albert alongside the guidance of Trish Stratus in the widely popular stable called T&A. At Backlash, they faced the Dudley Boyz who had recently started putting females (Lita, Mae Young, Ivory) through tables, and Trish was next on their list.

Trish had been playing mind games with Buh-Buh Ray Dudley and gained his "infatuation," preventing him from putting her through tables on several occasions leading up to Backlash. T&A defended Trish's honor in a well contested match that gave us all plenty of worthwhile memories.

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXEqHw0ri5g (backstage promo, event build up)

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5XH58_o-9g (match part one)

Part Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytpYXqVAKQ (match part two/ aftermath)

Test and Booker T vs. The Rock and Chris Jericho; WWE Tag Team Title Match (WWE "Smackdown" November 1, 2001):

Test teamed up with fellow Alliance member Booker T to take on the Tag Team Champions in the midst of the Invasion storyline arch.

Newly crowned Tag champs, WCW Championship Chris Jericho and The Rock defended against the Alliance, in a match where the Alliance was dead set on winning back some gold in order to further their motives.

After an impressive match, Test took control after a miscalculated dropkick by Jericho and pinned The Rock, winning his first Tag Team Title alongside Booker T.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38jvb_the-rock-chris-jericho-vs-booker-t_ev

Test vs. Edge; WWE Intercontinental Title Match (WWE "Raw" November 5, 2001):

Following his Tag Title win, Test continued the gravy train with a IC title shot against Edge the following Monday on Raw. In a very physical match, Test was fighting hard to keep up with his faster foe.

In the end, Test took advantage of an open opportunity using the referee to knock Edge off of the top turnbuckle and cover Edge for his only WWE Intercontinental Championship, and making him a double champ.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ivqf_edge-vs-test-ic-title_sport

Test vs. The Undertaker (WWE "Summerslam 2002" August 25, 2002):

Test was involved in a storyline which had him in charge of an Anti-American stable—The Un-Americans (along with Lance Storm, Christian and William Regal).

The Un-Americans gained the ire of many fans, but more importantly, they gained the attention of The Undertaker (assuming his "American Badass" persona) who decided to decisively shut up their biggest loudmouth at Summerslam. Test and 'Taker had a hell of a match but this is one that Test did not win.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4lyqr_undertaker-vs-test_sport

Test vs. Kevin Nash (WWE "Raw" July 7, 2003):

Test was in a "woman-hater" storyline which saw him man-handle his on screen (and one time off screen) girlfriend Stacy Keibler. He was having an altercation backstage with Trish Stratus, when she was rescued when "Big Daddy Cool" Kevin Nash interrupted and defended Trish.

A match took place, Test cleverly used his surroundings to take advantage and win the match, when Trish came to aide Nash and inadvertently cost him the match.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x179ch_wwe-test-vs-kevin-nash_family

Test vs. Al Snow (WWE "ECW" July 4, 2006):

Test made his long awaited in-ring return to the WWE on ECW, after an almost two year absence. Test made quick work of WWE veteran Al Snow, dominating him in an aggressive manner, showing off a new finisher. He then proceeded to punt Snow's beloved "Head" into the audience.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8355u_test-vs-al-snow-tests-ecw-debut_sport

Test vs. Bobby Lashley; ECW Heavyweight Title Match (WWE "Royal Rumble 2007" January 28, 2007):

Following a strong push after his return to the WWE, Test battled ECW Champion Bobby Lashley at the 2007 Royal Rumble.

This was one of a series of matches between Test and Lashley and one of Test's final matches, before leaving the WWE due to violating it's WWE Wellness Policy.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6cxam_wwe-test-vs-lashleyecw-title_sport

These are my personal Test favorites, please respond with your comments and your own list if you have one.

The Most Gruesome Injuries in Wrestling History

Alberto Cortez — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:44:55 -0400

We are all fans of wrestling, and I believe that we look to our wrestlers as entertainers. At times we forget to look at them for what they truly are, people like you and I.

Even these performing deities have their share of physical difficulties, and I will categorize the most painful, most remembered injuries in sports entertainment history.

11. Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (WWE "Wrestlemania XIX" March 30th, 2003): This was a pretty embarrassing moment in Wrestlemania main event history, Brock Lesnar was having a very athletic match with Angle, they both elevated their game, but at some point in the match Lesnar decided to take his wrath to the top rope.

A big man like Lesnar had not seen too much time on the top rope during his career, in fact this is the first and only time I've ever witnessed him attempt a high risk top rope maneuver.

He attempted his version of "The Shooting Star Press" (made famous by Billy Kidman), I say attempted because what follows can only be described as an injury waiting to happen.

Lesnar totally miscalculated his mass and did not have the momentum, the altitude or the clearance to hit the move correctly, instead he viciously drove his forehead into the canvas entirely missing Angle, who rolled out of the way (although there was no need to because Lesnar wasn't even close).

Lesnar remained composed, regained himself, and finished the match, winning after three F-5's to Angle, but as soon as he made his way backstage it was a different story.

He was drifting in and out of consciousness, and he at some points was extremely distraught and in a rage, all the symptoms of a massive concussion.

10. Chris Benoit vs. Sabu (ECW "November To Remember 1994" Nov. 5, 1994): In a very painful match to see, Chris Benoit proved his moniker of "The Crippler," attempted a flapjack on Sabu (Terry Brunk).

Sabu landed weirdly and instead the botched move saw Sabu fall directly on top of his head, this led Sabu to yell out to Paul Heyman who was at ringside that there was something terribly wrong with his neck, he sustained temporary paralysis.

Benoit literally and accidentally broke Sabu's neck. While the move was in no way intentional, I actually think its Sabu's fault because he landed the move wrong, but it did go on to cement Benoit as "The Crippler".

Don't worry, as we all know Sabu recovered and went on to have a very storied career.

9. Brock Lesnar vs Hardcore Holly (WWE "Smackdown" 2002): Yes Brock Lesnar is one of four men to make it on the list twice, but in this scenario instead of harming himself, he harmed someone else.

On an episode of Smackdown, Lesnar (still a rising rookie) fought the veteran Hardcore Holly. Holly was a notorious "stiff" wrestler, and the match up to a point was a very stiff bout, but there came a moment in the match when Lesnar was supposed to execute a powerbomb on the veteran.

For whatever reason, Holly did not want Lesnar to hit the powerbomb on him, he went stiff halfway up and Brock dropped him right on his neck. The botch was most certainly Holly's fault in this case, he was the own cause of his broken neck, which sidelined him for 13 months till his eventual return at the 2003 Survivor Series.

8. Stone Cold and Triple H vs. Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho (WWE "Raw" May 21st, 2001): This injury was especially memorable, Triple H blew out his quadriceps in a match that pitted him and Stone Cold vs Benoit (another wrestler that made it to this list twice, but his involvement this time was less detrimental) and Jericho for the WWE Tag Team Titles.

The Two Man Power Trip took on Jericho and The Crippler in a back and forth contest, the injury to Triple H occurred when he tried to break a submission attempt on Stone Cold by Jericho, he misstepped and ripped his quad.

He somehow managed to gather enough strength to finish the match, even though he could barely stand. In an event that would forever define the career of Triple H, he would not be seen again till his return at the 2002 Royal Rumble return as a face.

But we all know how that would turn out, he won the Rumble, and beat the man who "injured" him at Wrestlemania to become the second WWE Undisputed Champion.

7. Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Marty Garner (WWE "Superstars" May 28th, 1996): Triple H is the only man on this list to go back to back and is the third man mentioned on this list twice. In a little-known fact of wrestling history, Triple H faced jobber Marty Garner on a taped episode of WWF "Superstars" early in Triple H's career.

What is remarkable about this particular match was that the jobber had never seen Triple H's Finisher, The Pedigree before, so when Triple H hooked Garner's hands, he expected it to be a underhook suplex or a tiger bomb, so he jumped up a little father then he needed to which led for the Pedigree to hit it's mark directly on top of Garner's head instead of face down.

Garner suffered a severe but not debilitating neck injury; he even got to appear on a few daytime talk shows like Montel and Sally Jesse Raphael were he would explain his injury and show the clip.

Garner eventually filed suit with the WWE and the matter was settled out of court, but it could have been much worse.

6. MNM vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal & Dave Taylor in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match (WWE "Armageddon 2006" December 17th, 2006): As being a fan of the new millennium, I am very fond of ladder matches or TLC matches, but this one ranks on this list for all the wrong reasons.

The match was a non-stop action paced match but the turning point was a gruesome injury sustained by Joey Mercury when a ladder struck him in the face after a see-saw slingshot on-to the ladder by Jeff Hardy, this caused Mercury's face to be sliced open.

The injury Mercury sustained caused him to leave the match, prematurely, a bloody mess, while his partner Johnny Nitro continued the match alone.

The extent of his wounds caused him to have 5 stitches inside his nose and 15 stitches outside his nose, prompting him to wear a face mask upon his short lived return to the ring following the injury.

The reason I put this injury on the list, although being bloodied in wrestling is commonplace, is because this was a legitimate wound, Mercury was temporarily blinded as his eye and nose swelled, and blood was everywhere, a very real reminder that while a ladder match can catapult rookies to success, it can just as easily end your career.

5. Bret Hart vs. Bill Goldberg (WCW "Starcade 1999" December 19th, 1999): In a saddening turn of events I refer to as "the kick heard around the world", Bret Hart's career ended.

This event pitted The Hitman vs Goldberg in a No Disqualification Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title, during the match Bret hart received a devastating mule kick that would unquestionably end the career of Bret Hart.

Hart continued the match seemingly unaffected, and managed to win (with some controversy). Due to this kick, Bret suffered post-concussion syndrome, unbeknown to him at the time, it wasn't till nearly a month later that he was diagnosed and forced into early retirement.

Hart relinquished his title, and said goodbye to his fans in January 2000 on an episode of Monday Night Nitro.

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart (WWE "Summerslam 1997" Aug. 3, 1997): This is probably the most historic life-changing injury in all of sports entertainment.

The new Stone Cold persona was catching the attention of the nation at a very critical time in the Monday Night Wars, the success of the company depended on characters like Stone Cold.

Owen Hart and Austin had been engaged in a bitter feud due to the whole Hart Foundation Anti-American campaign, this led to a match for Owen's Intercontinental title at Summerslam, the match was going fine until Owen inadvertently botched an inverted piledriver (Hart Driver) and spiked Austin directly upon his head, smashing the plates in his neck together.

The Original plan was for a Tombstone piledriver which is why many speculate Austin positioned his head so, instead Own turned the move into his Hart Driver. Austin sustained temporary paralysis, but was able to finish the match with a lackluster roll-up pin after the referee distracted Owen.

This changed wrestling history, had Stone Cold not received that injury he would probably still be wrestling today. Side-note, this is the second time Stone Cold is listed on this list, and he is the last of the four men listed on this list twice.

This mention on this list is an ironic one, 10 years prior to this match Stone Cold was in Owen's proverbial shoes when the exact sequence of events that caused Austin's injury, caused Austin to break another wrestler's (Masahiro Chono) neck using the same inverted piledriver sequence. Tragic yet ironic, is it not?

3. New Jack vs. Vic Grimes (ECW "Living Dangerously 2000" March 12th, 2000): Affectionately referred to as "The Danbury Fall," Vic Grimes and New Jack had one of the most bone-crunching accidents in wrestling history.

I've never held either wrestler with high regards, in fact I found nothing about their matches to be actual wrestling, its more similar to watching reckless teenager's pretend to be wrestlers in a backyard hardcore match.

With no surprise this match had one of the most horrifying botches in wrestling history, the plain fact is both men could have died.

New Jack and Grimes were fighting atop a scaffold, with table set up below them, they were both suppose to fall through the tables but New Jack prematurely pulled Grimes too early missing the tables, and instead hitting the concrete below, Grimes landing on New Jack's head.

Both men suffered major injuries, New Jack suffered brain damage, short term memory loss, nerve damage, nagging headaches and lost all vision in his right eye. This was a horrific fall and by all accounts both men should have died, but somehow the show must go on.

New Jack went on to recover and exacted his measure of revenge on Grimes at an XPW event in 2001 when he threw Grimes off a 35-foot scaffold onto 12 stacked tables which he almost missed (in an interview New Jack admitted he wanted Grimes to miss the tables and hit the turnbuckle, possibly hoping for Grimes' injury or death) in which Grimes broke his right ankle when it hit the top rope.

2. Darren "Droz" Drozdov vs. D'Lo Brown (WWF "Smackdown" Oct. 5, 1999): This was a very tragic incident. The budding career of Darren Drozdov or Droz as he was known came to a screeching halt on an episode of Smackdown when D'Lo Brown botched a running powerbomb on Droz.

The problem was that Droz was wearing a loose fitting t-shirt, and when D'Lo went to pick Droz up he could not get a firm grip on Droz, and Droz did not jump high enough to make up for the fact D'Lo didn't pick him up far enough.

Basically D'Lo hands slipped, and he was trying his hardest to correct the mistake but did not have any leverage and could not get Droz up in the 90-degree angle needed to absorb the impact, instead dropping Droz directly on the back of his neck.

The Droz although alive, was paralyzed for life, and is now a quadriplegic due to the failed move.

Droz remains on the WWE's payroll as a journalist on the website most notably WWE Byte This, mostly doing pre-PPV predictions. It was truly neither man's fault that this happened, but it stands as a grim reminder that things can go wrong in the blink of the eye.

1. Sid Vicious vs Scott Steiner (WCW "Sin" January 14th, 2001): The final injury to make it to our list is the none other spectacular leg snap of Sid Vicious in his match with Scott Steiner at the WCW PPV event, "Sin."

Sid and Steiner both have limited wrestling ability, and a very limited pool of maneuvers to pull from, so the trainers at WCW suggested Sid try some new moves in his match with Scott Steiner to increase the quality of the match and broaden his wrestling arsenal.

One of those moves discussed was a big boot from the middle rope in which Vicious would stand on the middle rope, fly down and deliver a big boot to Steiner while balancing himself on his other foot.

Sid was unwilling to do the high risk maneuver and rightfully so, but despite that management convinced him to go through with it. That move might be better suited for a smaller wrestler, considering the mass of Vicious, and his momentum coming down from the top rope, there was no way he could've avoided snapping his leg in half like he did.

This was Sid's last performance on WCW and any major promotion, he had to have a steel rod inserted to heal his compound fracture, he sued WCW claiming he was forced to perform the dangerous stunt and he has since wrestled on the independent circuit.

Although this injury was not the most severe on the list, I placed it as No. 1 due to the fact that its just so stomach-turning watching Sid's leg hang off its bone, it's definitely the most gruesome injury to behold.

So that is my list, please respond with your comment or your personal picks.

P.S. The most gruesome moment in wrestling history was the in-ring death of beloved Owen Hart as the Blue Blazer at WWE's PPV "Over The Edge" on May 23, 1999. But I do not consider this to be an injury due to the fatal nature of the wound.

A History of Mutual Disrespect in the WWE: Hart-Michaels

Alberto Cortez — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:31:40 -0400

There has been very few things that have caused me physical pain when it comes to watching a wrestling match, but I can think of one thing in particular.

I absolutely find it disgusting when Shawn Michaels uses the Sharpshooter, so much that it causes me to impulsively change the channel when I see him locking it in.

For those of you younger readers who are in a dire need of a history lesson, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels was engaged in a heated and personal backstage war for the better part of the mid-1990s with the company's (at the time) top star, Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Bret, having earned his way to the top after eight years of loyal work to the company that made him a star, got his first push in the WWE (WWF) in 1991's Summerslam, during which time Shawn Michaels was still one of "The Rockers" (along with Marty Jannety) and mainly being used as a jobber since entering the WWE in 1988.

Reportedly, the trouble between Hart and Michaels started at a taped house show sometime in October 1990, which pitted The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) against The Rockers.

The story backstage was that Jim Neidhart was supposed to leave the WWE after reported disputes, and was trying to negotiate his release from the company.

At that time, The Hart Foundation were the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, and due to Neidharts's impending departure, management decided to put the belts on The Rockers.

So in this taped event, The Rockers beat The Hart Foundation for the Tag titles, as a solution to the company's problem—freeing up Neidhart to leave the company.

But the real problem was that the WWE came to an agreement with Neidhart after the match was taped, thus he was rehired.

Management then overruled the match, stating that The Hart Foundation were still the champions due to some technical difficulties with a broken turnbuckle (which in fact did happen during their match), in which they stated the match shouldn't have continued. In so never acknowledging the victory and never airing/ televising the title match.

The Rockers were rightfully outraged by the move, feeling that they were overlooked in comparison to the The Hart Foundation.

An unspoken rivalry began.

More importantly, Michaels, upon seeing Hart's Intercontinental title push in 1991's Summerslam, demanded singles attention, and a few months later departed from Marty Jannety and assumed his Heartbreak Kid persona.

Bret Hart was the reigning Intercontinental Champ till Summerslam 1992. Up till then—between April 7, 1992 to July 23, 1992—Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels wrestled each other in a total of 49 matches, of which Hart won 47 of their encounters.

One of their final matches during this period was the little-known, un-televised, first-ever ladder match for the WWE IC championship (which occurred almost two years before the Wrestlemania X ladder match in which Michaels credits himself for the innovation, when in actuality Hart brought the idea over from Stampede Wrestling).

If I were Michaels, I would be a little resentful of Hart, too, considering their previous history.

But aside from win-loss records, Michaels was part of a now infamous backstage stable of wrestlers, including Diesel (Kevin Nash), Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), and Triple H.

The Kliq, as they were known, wrote the book on backstage politics and maneuvered themselves into prime positions in the company with their tactics. They established booking influence and challenged the main event status of Bret Hart, among others.

Michaels was a favorite of McMahon, and although he did not have faith in the smaller wrestlers performing on a main event card, decided—with much lobbying by Michaels—to give him a shot in 1995 over more established wrestlers like Hart.

This of course would all culminate at Wrestlemania 12 in 1996, where the main event was an hour-long Iron Man Match between current WWE Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart and the 1996 Royal Rumble Winner, Shawn Michaels.

We all know what events transpired; Shawn Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music on The Hitman a few minutes into overtime and dethroned Hart to capture his first WWE title. A widely publicized fact was that Shawn Michaels proceeded to yell to Bret to "Get the f*** out of my ring, this is my moment," when he was being handed the title.

In his Autobiographical DVD, Bret The Hitman Hart: Best There is Best There Was And Best There Ever Will Be, Hart commented on the Iron-Man match, recalling that the match "did not benefit me in any way" and that he felt sad and angry that Shawn did not show him the proper respect following their match.

He stated that the business is about helping make each other's career, and when he recalls the match that he had with the late Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig) at Summerslam 1991, and the fact that Mr. Perfect gave Bret and incredible match to make fans believe that, "this is the guy," he did so out of sheer respect for Bret, and teary eyed Bret expressed his gratefulness for his friend.

Well, since then, it was no surprise to anyone backstage that their was both an on-and-off-screen rivalry between the two.

To further cement Michaels's disrespect of Hart, he refused to drop the title to Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13, instead using a minor knee injury as a scapegoat as he relinquished the title following the 1997 Royal Rumble in his infamous "I lost my smile" speech on Raw.

In the following year, Bret would continue to fued with Austin, culminating in a Submission Match at Wrestlemania 13, which laid the foundation for a double-turn.

Then-heel Austin would finally turn face after a year in the WWE, and Hart would turn heel again after close to nine years.

Hart was not done after his match, and would continue to attack Austin (Kayfabe) in order for a reversal of roles. It was a historic match for Bret and Austin, but it was not the match Bret desired to have at WM 13

He wanted his title back, and he wanted the man that he helped create it to be the one he pinned.

Michaels was done putting Hart over, he did not want another opportunity to make Hart look good at his own expense. At Wrestlemania 13, before the main event of Undertaker vs Sid Vicious, Hart came out and called out Michaels (who was doing commentary alongside McMahon and Ross) for refusing to fight him, claiming he was using his "pussy foot injury" as an excuse.

Bret started an Anti-American, Pro-Canadian campaign, and he reformed "The Hart Foundation" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, his brother Owen (may he rest in peace), "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, and "Flyin" Brian Pillman. They Fueded with Austin, Legion of Doom, and anyone trying to defend the honor of the US Flag.

Meanwhile, Michaels, not content playing his stagnant role as a face, asked to be put over as a heel, and McMahon saw the potential and finally allowed Michaels to start his heel faction with his partner and friend, Triple H, alongside the mentorship of an older heel, Rick Rude, a temporary member, and Chyna.

The group would come to be known as D-Generation X (a name unknowingly created by Hart, as he called Michaels a degenerate on TV programing after performing lewd acts).

This was a mistakenly weird moment in WWE history; you take your biggest face (Hart) and have him turn heel, and try and make him the biggest heel in the company, then you take another face (Michaels) and you make him an even bigger heel, who feuds with other heels (Hart).

They basically took the rug underneath the feet of Hart and then gave it to Michaels.

This led to an eventual on-screen rivalry of the two heels.

In the US, Michaels was the face, anywhere else, Bret was the face. For months it was DX vs The Hart Foundation, until a final resolution was declared.

Hart, a tried and true WWE persona, had been offered a contract from WCW (1996) by then head of talent Eric Bischoff.

Hart, true to his beliefs, told McMahon about the offer and insisted that he would reject whatever offer they made him. McMahon told him to meet with Bischoff and see what they put on the table (in order to gauge how much Bret meant to another promotion and to see if it was worth McMahon's interest to keep him).

Bret revealed the surprising contract to McMahon, and McMahon offered Bret a 20-year contract in-lieu of WCW's $50 Million dollar contract, Bret accepted.

Problems backstage continued.

Bret reportedly beat up Michaels backstage before a house show in Connecticut, when Michaels reportedly was spreading gossip about Hart having an affair with Sunny (of the Bodydonna's).

Hart, a devoted family man, was rightfully angered at the allegations which had no basis.

A few weeks later, on October 12, 1997, Hart confronted Michaels and talked to him about putting aside their differences and acting like men, stating that "We are professionals, if McMahon requests me to lose to you in a match, then so be it."

Michaels shot back by saying "I will never lose to you." This of course was a big sign of disrespect for Hart—he could not believe Shawn's pettiness.

Later, McMahon would regret his decision to keep Bret and started to defer his paychecks, while at the time encouraging Bret to ask Bischoff to put the offer back on the table, stating that the company's (WWE) financial perils were too much and he could not afford to keep a talent like Bret.

Bret was hesitant, but McMahon insisted. Using his father-son relationship, he told Bret that he just wanted what was best for him. Bret, reluctantly, signed a $3 million-a-year contract with WCW, thinking that he was doing what was best for himself, his family, and the company that made him a star.

After the deal was done, they had to figure out a way to have Bret lose his WWE title (His fifth and final WWE Title, won it from The Undertaker after Michaels, as referee, interfered and mistakenly knocked out Taker with a steel chair when he was aiming for Hart).

Hart's last match was to be at Survivor Series 1997.

Survivor Series November 9, 1997, was held at Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Bret, being the champion, did not want to lose the title in Canada, especially to Michaels (who he was going to face after weeks of back and forth promos), and instead came to an "agreement" with McMahon about a match disqualification due to outside interference by Dx and The Hart Foundation.

As we all know, that didn't happen. Bret was screwed by the man he despised. The man he thought was a father figure.

In a way, that is so disgusting any fan or non-fan of Hart would have to agree that no one deserves their career to be ended like that—betrayed.

Michaels applied the sharpshooter, Hart's signature finisher, on Hart, and within three seconds, referee Earl Hebner (may he rot in hell) called for the bell.

We have all probably seen Hart's destructive path after the incident—destroying cameras, spitting on Vince and attacking him backstage. He was right to do so.

Michaels hid behind McMahon, stating he didn't know the match was going to end like that, that he "wasn't in on it."

Years later, in 2001, on WWE Confidential, Michales admitted that he knew what was going to happen and that he helped McMahon create the scenario (the idea of the sharpshooter) in which to call for the bell.

The stranglehold of Michaels's WWE Championship title era, and Michaels's DX era following Hart's abrupt departure from the WWE, ended at Wrestlemania XIV when Michaels forcefully retired early due to a broken back he sustained in a casket match at the 1997 Royal Rumble against The Undertaker.

The difference is, he got to leave the WWE with dignity, after losing a well contested match to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Years later Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (Shawn Michaels) would resurface, a much less volatile figure, a changed man, some might say (not me).

He was no longer addicted to drugs or living a fast life with loose women. He settled down, got married, had children, and found religion. But that didn't stop him from coming back to the WWE as HBK.

Bret Hart worked for WCW, earning two WCW title championships and two United States Title Championships. But he was mostly misused by WCW writers and officials.

He continued his work there until 2000, when he sustained a concussion during a title match with Bill Goldberg. Along with other injuries sustained along the way, he was force into retirement due to Post-Concussion Syndrome.

In his autobiography, Hart states that he ended as both company's (WWE and WCW) Champion, having never officially lost either respective title.

Prior to WM 22, Bret Hart was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and his only request was that Michaels not be in attendance.

Much to his dismay, Michaels was in attendance, but left prior to Hart's induction. Hart refused to appear the next night on Wrestlemania 22 due to Michaels being at the Hall Of Fame Ceremony.

Since Michaels's return to the squared-circle, he has been on occasion using the sharpshooter on some opponents. He is also now using the Crippler Crossface as one of his submission holds.

Considering the late Chris Benoit was an alumnus of Stu Hart's Dungeon, and he was dear friends with the Hart family, including Bret Hart, using the Crossface is almost as despicable as using the sharpshooter.

Both sides have their rightful baggage with each other, but I personally think that Shawn Michaels has always been an arrogant prima donna, and that conflicted with Hart's code of honor and respect he had for the industry.

Hart is arguably the better professional among the two; I mean, when it comes to Shawn, how dare he spread vicious rumors of an affair and be a chief architect of the Montreal screw-job. On top of that, he still has the gall to use The Sharpshooter, yet he is still seen as a face?

He's not kidding anyone, especially not me.

Who Needs a Push in WWE: "Pimp My Wrestler"

Alberto Cortez — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:31:18 -0500

It's no surprise that I, like many other fans, am a big fan of the WWF's Attitude Era, or as I call it, the "Golden Age of Sports Entertainment."

One thing that separated the WWF from any other franchise was its ability to make a diamond out of coal; they had a knack for creating new and marketable talent.

Don't believe me? Think of Stone Cold, The Rock, and Triple H; they were all jobbers (The Ringmaster, Rocky Maivia, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley) before they got their respective pushes and became industry megastars.

Compare that to their counterparts in other promotions, like those in WCW: They were all "main event"-ers in the 80's and simply rode their wave of popularity till the late 90's.

Charles Wright was a struggling wrestler in a big company with mediocre gimmicks like "Kama Mustafa"; He was basically putting fans to sleep during his matches.

WWF decided to make the best of what they had and "pimped" Mr. Wright and turned him into the beloved "Godfather".

While his wrestling didn't improve, what did improve was his ability to excite the fans; I mean, who wouldn't tune into you when you are surrounded by local-area strippers, who escort you ringside and you affectionately refer to as "hos?"

I was always intrigued to see who was going to get a push, who was going to have a new gimmick, and who fans would remember after the dust settled. So I started thinking to myself, who needs to be pimped nowadays?

Crime Tyme

Great guys, great wrestlers, but I would like to see them get more shots at the gold, maybe more one-on-one matches in which they aren't squashed. I like the whole "Chain Gang" idea with John Cena, and if he goes heel they should join him, because no heel travels alone.

Some better competition is what they need; either that, or they need to sell their gimmick by doing various "crimes," leading up to them stealing the Tag Titles or a World Title and not giving it back until they get a championship match. That would be worth watching, and would keep their status as "pimps."

Ezekiel Jackson

This guy is the next Batista, although it might not happen overnight.

He needs to stop being a valet for a cruiserweight; not saying Kendrick isn't a great wrestler, but he will never be a Shawn Michaels.

But back to Jackson, put him in a good heel stable, have him fight some upper- or mid-card guys, give him a better name, and you have a "pimped-out" wrestler worthy of appearing in main events.

Mr. Kennedy

First things first, book him in some matches, and then decide if you want to make him a heel or a face, then run with it.

Kennedy is a good character, but I would maybe have him stop the whole microphone entrance. It does set him apart, but all he really needs is a good push.

Charlie Haas

A great all-around wrestler, he has been mainly impersonating other wrestlers as of late. It's time for him to make his own mark.

Unlike Shelton Benjamin, he hasn't seen the spotlight since the split of "The World's Greatest Tag Team." He's always been seen as an "Angle-Lite."

He's got great technical ability; with the right push (maybe as a heel) he could be really worth watching.

Sim Snuka

Wrestling's in his blood, and he has sound skills. I thought he had a good beginning with the storyline with Legacy, but it fizzled out.

He should start a stable of Samoan wrestlers, like Manu (if they bring him back) and Umaga, kind of like a throwback to the "Wild Samoans."

Ryder and Hawkins

They're not my favorite on the list, but we all agree that they need some real heat if they want to avoid getting the boot from the WWE. I was thinking of a rivalry against the man who created them, Edge.

I'm thinking a Edge and Christian vs. Ryder and Hawkins storyline would give the duo some long-awaited legitimacy. Unless they get pimped, they will continue to be Edge's whipping boys.

DJ Gabriel

All I need to say is "stop dancing!"

This guy's not that bad of a wrestler; maybe if he were taken seriously, he could climb the ladder in the Land of Extreme. I think they just need to let this guy be himself.

These two don't seem to be on the radar anymore:

Kizarny

This guy was good in TNA as "Kizarian," but the whole "Carny" routine just isn't doing it.

I think they need to drop the gimmick and give him some air time; it's been almost two months since his last appearance. I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE decided to drop him, and it would be a shame, considering his talent and following.

DH Smith

I haven't seen this guy in ages! Last I remember, he was getting a royal beatdown from JBL.

Regardless, he's solid technically, and he has a lot going for himself, being the son of a great like "The British Bulldog" Davey Smith. I think he needs to inherit his father's trademark and start carrying the British flag ringside, with the British colors adorning his trunks.

Who knows, maybe he can team up with fresh talent like Tyson Kidd and Natalya and reform the "Hart Foundation." I just hope he doesn't get thrown out with the rest of the trash.

So, who do you want to see pimped?

Who Would You Like To See Punted By Randy Orton?

Alberto Cortez — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:40:01 -0500

The Question is simple,"Who Would You Like To See Punted By Randy Orton?"

Randy has a vicious streak, we all now that. He's a top heel and has made a name for himself taking out legends, opponents, and anyone else that stand in his way, and Randy favorite way to dispose of anyone that gets on his bad side is with a punt to the head...

Randy's been called a Viper, but what if his evil maneuver were used for good? Who would you target? Who truly is deserving of a good punt to the head?

I have my own list but please feel free to make your own and add them in the "Comments"....

Number 9: The Worst Gimmick of This Decade: King Booker

I'll admit I was a big Booker T fan whether he was a face or a heel, but as soon as he became King Booker I had to put the TV on mute anytime he came out...he was the most annoying gimmick in the WWE, and I was glad when anyone took him off his high-horse...

I was sad when he left the WWE, but I was mostly relieved that he could start off with a clean slate in TNA, but instead the old tired King Booker persona made me turn away from even bothering watching TNA programing.

I think it's time to put King Booker out to pasture, and he absolutely deserves a punt to the head.

Number 8: Irresponsible Mother of Octuplets: Nadya Suleman

I am by no means a woman hater, but how could anyone who already has six children that she cannot afford to take care of (she's on disability) have the "balls" to think its a good idea to have eight more kids?

Both Nadya's own mother and stepfather think she is totally nuts, irresponsible, and needs to be locked away.

Her oldest who is six years old says he does not want that many brothers and sisters, he said and I quote, "I don't want 8 brothers and sisters, imagine all of the crying"...the most disgusting thing about this whole thing is she is dipping into the Social security money that should be going towards retirees or truly disabled workers.

Imagine all of the taxes taken out of your hard earned paycheck going towards this woman and her 14 kids, because of her careless impulsion to procreate.

She is definitely punt worthy, who knows it might put some sense into her, because she was obviously dropped on her head a few times.....

Number 7: The Most Annoying Man In Showbiz: Andy Dick

Do I really need to explain this one? Andy Dick is the epitome of what disgusts the viewing public, I truly cannot stomach him. He's just awful and deserves to be punted for all his troubles....

Number 6: Kane vs Mysterio Rivalry: Whoever Was Behind That Storyline

In a moment when I, a devoted, and loyal wrestling and WWE fan stopped and thought to myself, what the hell!?

The storyline made no sense and didn't not benefit either wrestler, it was by far the worst storyline (in the WWE) of 2008. Truly it was a waste of 10 or 15 minutes on each episode of RAW that could of been used on anything else.....

Which ever writer fesses up to the crime must do the time...well maybe not time, but definitely a well delivered punt by Randy Orton.

Number 5: High School Musical: Both the Cast, Creators, and the Fans

Why? Simply because I hate any teeny bopper Disney crap creation (and no I didn't forget that Disney owns ESPN, I wasn't referring to you ESPN, so chill out) especially if its a bunch of angst filled dancing and singing teens who's biggest worry is that "Mummy didn't buy me a Hummer for Christmas"...it's just so anti-wrestling culture it makes my skin crawl....

Randy should punt them so at least they have something good to sing about....

Number 4: Big Poppa Pump: Scott Steiner

I'm tired of seeing him not being able to carry a match, or a sentence...What has he ever truly accomplished other than being a steroids freak?

And then he has the nerve to talk down about greats in the industry like Ric Flair, he isn't even the best of the Steiner's, his brother Rick was way better in comparison, and yet he has the nerve to compare himself to Flair.

Number 3: Beth Phoenix's Girlfriend: Santino Marella

I know Santino is supposed to be the comic relief, but hey you can't blame me for wanting to see him get punted by Orton can you, he just manages to get under my skin...

Number 2: The Glorified Cue Card Reader: Nancy Grace

One of the many media scavengers looking to make a name for herself by exploiting the tragedy of Chris Benoit's death. She was so disrespectful, and so ignorant of the wrestling world when the Chris Benoit Scandal broke.

She truly did not know anything about wrestling yet she was there to lend the viewing public her slanted opinion on Chris Benoit's life and career by calling him a "barbarian", and urging the public that the wrestling world promotes steroid use and violence.

Without question, she deserves a good punt to the head, made then she can respect the wrestling world as it should be.

Number 1: Last But Not Least: Anyone Who Thinks Wrestling Is Fake

I don't really have to explain it, while it may be scripted, the action is real and so is the excitement and athleticism, so if you don't agree expect a visit from Mr. Orton.

Whats Next for Rey Mysterio? And What Is the WWE Doing About It?

Alberto Cortez — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:46:49 -0500

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for underdogs, and it's no secret that Rey has always been an underdog whether he chooses to see it that way or not. His ability in the ring is amazing, a crowd favorite, and overall impressive wrestler, but even with his awesome track record, he is just not getting a push in the WWE.

Many will say it was a Cinderella Story when the Master of the 619 won the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania 22 against Angle and Orton, but since losing that title against King Booker, the WWE has limited Mysterio's prosperity.

The truth is the WWE has pushed Mysterio throughout his entire tenure; not that Mysterio needed the push to get over with the fans.

They started him off as a top Cruiserwieght contender, earning eight WWE Cruiserwight Titles, World Tag Team Title with RVD, and three WWE Tag Title Championships one with Edge, one with Eddie Guerrero, and one with Batista, all before his World Heavyweight Title win at WM22 in 2006.

The problems for Mysterio's career didn't start till he lost his World Heavyweight Title to Booker T, and that has a lot to do with how the WWE has booked him, and who've they've put him up against. Sometimes the misuse of his talent has hurt the WWE's credibility as well as Mysterio's bright career.

A great example of the misuse of Mysterio is facing him off against then-World Heavyweight Champ, The Great Khali, and then make Mysterio seem totally dwarfed in comparison to the might and stature of Khali, and then bail him out by adding Batista to the mix.

Making it look like the Master of the 619 couldn't handle his own, the WWE was basically painting a picture telling us he could never compete with the big guys again.

Or how about the convoluted Kane storyline? How much of that made sense? Just when we expected Kane to divulge deeper into his psychotic mind and maybe see the return of Kane's mask, we are hit with an inexplicable swerve leading to a rivalry with Rey, that really had no beginning or end?

Who thought this was a good storyline really? It really didn't do anything for either star, as they storyline fell apart and almost felt non-existent.

At least his fights with Mike Knoxx has proven to put Knoxx on the collective radar, and had some real heat to Knoxx, not a whole lot, but way better than with Kane.

With no other explanation than Mike Knoxx just likes to kick A**, and Mysetrio was a perfect punching bag, that in itself was a breath of fresh air compared to the over-explained angle with Kane, sometimes simple is good, not great, but at least good.

Not to mention that you have Rey making stars like CM Punk, losing to the younger competitor in the tournament to declare the No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship Title. Not saying CM Punk isn't worthy, but Rey would have done a lot more with the opportunity.

Just look at Mysterio's unprecedented performances at the 2009 Royal Rumble and at No Way Out, he racked up more than and hour and a half of ring time in two PPV's! Amazing! At No Way Out alone he was a determining factor in the eliminations of Kane, John Cena, and Chris Jericho, and he came with in seconds of defeating Edge for the World Heavyweight Title, even though he started the match close to 40 mins earlier with Chris Jericho.

Mysetrio kept fans guessing, at the edge of their seats, he truly put on a good show, and made Edge's victory that much more credible thanks to Rey. I mean did you guys see Rey take out Kane? How about the 619 on Cena, or the failed powerbomb attempt by Edge into the X-factor reversal on the steel ring-floor, into the 916 (backwards 619), it was just an impressive showing by the masked marvel.

What do I think? I think if they're not gonna put a major Championship on Rey like the WWE or the World Heavyweight Title, they should at least give him a push in the upper-mid card division with either the Intercontinental Championship Title or the United States Championship Title gold within his reach. But there is no one more deserving than Rey of another Big Title Push!

Or maybe Rey can lead a stable of high-flyers like Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne and maybe even Jeff Hardy, they could call themselves the "Top Rope Kings" or TRK for short.

That would be a welcomed change to the Miz and Morrison, or The Legacy, and they can fued for months heading into " Survivor Series" for a classic Survivor Series Match against the bland heels. Well, maybe it'll never happen, but it never hurts to dream.

Whatever the case, yes he is an underdog, he may be lacking in strength or stature, but he always backs it up in the ring where needed...

Chris Jericho's Devastating Manuver: The Codebreaker

Alberto Cortez — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:59:24 -0500

It is well known that I am a fan of Chris Jericho, whether he is a heel or face, but one cannot deny his technical in-ring savvy.

As impressive as his arsenal of moves is, including the Walls of Jericho, The Lionsault, Running Enzugiri, Running Bulldog, and Top Rope Missile Dropkick, none can compare to the awesomeness of the Codebreaker.

The Codebreaker is classified as a Double Knee Jawbreaker, a remix of Gregory Helms' Knee Facebuster, but much more sophisticated and effective.

A welcomed change from the Walls of Jericho, while a devastating submission in it's own right, yet not as satisfying as having your opponent laid out from a hard hitting finisher.

Jericho debuted his new finishing maneuver shortly after his Second Coming in a match against Santino Marella, many did not know what to make of the move, I for one at the time considered it very mediocre at best, but with time the finisher grew on me, as Jericho perfected its use.

What impressed me more than anything about his finisher is his ability to hit it out of nowhere, taking out the biggest names in wrestling in the meanwhile.

While it might not have the flash of the RKO, or the long track record of the Pedigree or Stunner, it will grow to be a force to be reckoned with.

If you doubt the power of the Codebreaker, look up some of Jericho's Most reccent matches:

He decisively hit The CodeBreaker on CM Punk mid-air to secure a spot for the Fatal-Four Way (prior to The Royal Rumble) which JBL later won (with help from HBK)

He later again beat CM Punk with a reversal to a pin attempt which led to yet another Codebreaker that led Jericho to qualify for the Elimination Chamber Match.
He made Kofi Kingston see stars in the six-man tag match on Raw a week ago in which Jericho caught Kofi with a reversal to Kofi's aerial attack, mid-air! Yes you better believe he hit The Codebreaker.
At the Elimination Chamber match he hit Codebreakers on Kane, Mike Knox, and John Cena which ended in eliminations for all three competitors.

The fact is the deadly maneuver works for the veteran ring general, it is his key to success, and that means more gold on the horizon for Jericho, and that's all right by me.

Possible Matches For Wrestlemania XXV: What We Should All Be Expecting

Alberto Cortez — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:25:04 -0500

I just saw WWE's pre-Wrestlemania PPV "No Way Out", and I have to say I am a little shocked...in a good way.

Two major swerves involving both major titles could mean an unpredictable card for the Biggest Showcase of wrestling—probably the biggest Wrestling PPV ever!

I'm sure you all know by now that Edge lost his WWE Championship after he was eliminated in the first Elimination Chamber match of the night by virtue of a quick inside cradle pin after a failed spear attempt unto the extreme Jeff Hardy, and later weaseled into the World Heavyweight Title Elimination Chamber match by viciously attacking Kofi Kingston on his way to the ring, and taking his spot in the match up much to the distaste of Rey Mysterio. Edge ended up eliminating his final chamber-mate, Rey Mysterio, after a brutal contest to claim his newest reign as the New World Heavyweight Champion.

Some are still wondering the validity of Edge's reign, if he should've even been allowed to participate considering he is a SmackDown Superstar, and he is the man who took out Kofi Kingston and robbed him of his opportunity to compete for the title. Many will probably claim that he doesn't deserve the gold and that he should be stripped of the title. I really don't see that happening, after all Edge is the Rated-R Superstar so he is no stranger to controversy.

The real question is—where will they go from here?

The question on everyone's mind is "Who will face Orton At WrestleMania XXV?"

Quite frankly, I'd like to know myself...Orton had a good tune up match with Shane McMahon at No Way Out which saw both participants reveal their sadistic natures. Although Orton put Shane down with an RKO, Shane left Randy with the taste of his own blood, as Orton staggered out of the arena after the carnage.

There are two possible scenarios that could play out at WrestleMania...

Randy Orton v Triple H for the WWE Title

Randy Orton v Edge for the World Heavyweight Title

Now, Orton v Triple H was a very intense rivalry throughout the latter part of 2007 to 2008 when Triple H finally dethroned Orton and even put Orton out of commission till Survivor Series, following a grueling rematch for the WWE title in which Triple H retained and in the process injured Orton's chest plate.

You could say Orton might have a bone to pick with the King of Kings, especially considering the 2008 Draft saw Triple H take the WWE titile to Smackdown, ruining any chances for revenge for Orton. Not to mention Orton still has the bitter taste from his original falling out with Triple H as a member of Evolution, as Triple H turned on him and kicked Orton out in a swift betrayl which left the door open for Triple H to claim the World Heavyweight Title from Orton—who was fresh off his victory over the previous reigning champ Chris Benoit.

He might take his chance to get Triple H, and take his Title back to Raw on the Grandest Stage Of Them All—Wrestlemania 25! Sounds good right? Well at least I think so, it is a Main-Event worthy match.

Now what about scenario No. 2? Edge vs Orton would be a very impressive match up. Two young, experienced, and relentless heels going head to head...there was even a time when Edge and Orton had each other's back, Rated RKO, united to take down D-Generation X.

Shortly afterwards, both men became champs in their respective brands. Babyfaces have John Cena and Batista, their the heel equivalents—Randy Orton and Edge!

The question is will this make a good main event? Unlike Triple H and Orton, Edge and Randy Orton don't have an extensive history, and many fans will might see this as a purely athletic match-up, with no drama.

It is true the Edge and Orton have had their differences—I'm reminded of a time when Edge was still a face on Raw and he was fighting the dominant force of Evolution which still included Orton, and he made it a mission to end Orton's near year long Intercontinental Championship reign—but it has been a long time since, and both men have changed their personas and in ring savy since then.

Could this be an opportunity for either one of the men to turn face? But who is the less of the two evils? Who would the fans rather see as a face?

There is a possible third scenario which might play out if the first two don't. I didn't feel the need to elaborate earlier because, let's be honest, the WWE is playing this hand very close to the chest, and they don't want to give away the Main-Event card for WrestleMania just yet.

But there might be the off chance that Orton would not be involved in a Championship match at all...facing instead someone sent to physically punish Orton for the assaults on the McMahons, maybe somebody hand picked by Stephanie McMahon. Triple H might be a possibility which would make a storyline that comes full circle (see scenario No. 1 for more details).

Or it might turn out that instead he has to share his opportunity with the likes of John Cena, Myserio—hell maybe even Kofi Kingston since he took him out at No Way Out—against Edge if he can hold on to the title till Wrestlemania, making it a Triple-Threat or Fatal Four-Way. The truth is I don't really know how I see this playing out.

Okay, enough with the head scratching about Orton's fate.

Speaking of fate—what will happen as far as Hardy's? What new twists await this sibling rivalry? I foresee a Hardy vs Hardy match at WM 25, not sure to what lengths they will go, or if they will reveal who was behind the sabotage attempts on Jeff Hardy Prior to The Royal Rumble, or who indeed attacked him in his hotel the night of Survivor Series which gave Edge an opportunity to become the WWE champ in late 2008.

I'm personally hoping for a ladder match, or something of that caliber, but any match with these two will be gold. So, no unnecessary twists are needed to make this worth watching.

Another match that has been hyped up in the previous weekes is Chris Jericho vs Hall of Famer Ric Flair. This is purely a way to keep Jericho out of the title picture, and have him make way for bigger heels like Orton or Edge (although his talent is undeniable and a great heel in his own right), or maybe this is a stepping stone for another comeback by Ric Flair, and who better to have it with then the 2008 Slammy award winning Superstar of the Year.

Flair ended his WWE career with HBK, and he might hope to re-ignite it with a victory over the man who had HBK's number (and vice versa) for most of 2008—Chris Jericho.

For a minute there I was worried we'd have another publicity stunt like Big Show vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. when Jericho was calling out Mickey Rouke, but I think I can see Rouke coming out as Flair's manager, special referee, special enforcer, or even announcer for this match. Whatever the case, worth watching, whether you're a Flair fan, Jericho fan, or if you just want to see two professionals do what they do best.

United States Title match Shelton Benjamin vs MVP

This match is going to happen, and it might as well take place at WM 25, the build up has been steady for the last couple of weeks so do not be surprised to see this on the card.

Money in the Bank

Something you can always count on when talking about WM 25, the question is who will be on the list? I think Kane, The Miz & Morrison, Kofi Kingston, The Colon Brothers, CM punk, Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, R-Truth, Chavo Guerrero, Mike Knox, William Regal, Finaly, Vladimir Kozlov and the Big Show are a good pool of talent to pull from, and any combination of these men might make it to WM 25. I'm looking forward to this match, and to the preliminary matches that will decide who will make it to MITB ladder match at WM25 that will probably start ASAP.

Jack Swagger vs Christian for the ECW Championship, this match is bound to happen because everyone is waiting for Christian's triumphant return to the WWE. What better way to cement it than by defeating Swagger, who came out of nowhere really, and take his ECW title and boosting some ratings for the Sci-Fi based brand in the process.

Here are a couple of things I'm not to clear on yet:

The Divas

Specifically, what role they will play in WM25. I'm thinking of a rematch between Beth Phoenix and Melina for the Women's Championship, or maybe a grudge match between Michelle McCool and Maria or Eve. Maybe they'll have a Diva Battle Royal or something, with the winning diva winning a match against their choice of either Women's Champion or Diva's Champion later on in the night.

I'm not sure but I'm certain the WWE will clear it up prior to WM25.

Whoever doesn't face Orton...who will Triple H fight if Orton does not challenge him, I'm guessing maybe a Triple H vs Undertaker match, No Way Out was a perfect build-up for a match like that, maybe even turning one of them into a heel afterwards (my money is on Triple H cause he is just so good as a heel).

Who will Edge face if Orton doesn't challenge him? Maybe a John Cena vs Edge match, or a Mysterio vs Edge match, or maybe a Triple Threat: Edge vs Cena vs Mysterio, or maybe somebody else will get a shot?

What will be next for HBK and JBL

Will there be a rematch at WM25? Will JBL exact a measure of revenge? Maybe they will get thrown into the fray of the title hunt against Edge, or maybe even participate in the Money in the Bank Ladder match....

I'm not sure if I've overlooked anything, or anyone...with WM25 so close it'll be hard to be able to put my finger on anything, but that's how I see things working out. Whatever the case I will definitely enjoy watching the build up and waiting to see how it plays out.

The Demise Of The WWE IC Championship: What Has Become Of WWE's Workhorse Title?

Alberto Cortez — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:30:42 -0400

I've been a WWE fan for pretty much my whole life, and without a doubt it's almost a given that most of the World Heavyweight Champions or WWE Champions in the company's history have held the IC title or at least a title like it (United States Title comes to mind even though its roots are in the WCW).

Since its induction in 1979, the WWE's Intercontinental Title was seen and treated as a prestigious award given to the workhorse of the company.

Truly whoever held the title was the man going out every night in front of millions of fans to entertain us, give us the best matches, keep our butts in the seat till the main event matches, and sometimes the IC matches would be the main events, outperforming and outclassing some of the heavyweights who would battle for the WWE or World Heavyweight title.

What happened? Where are the glory days of Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Honky Tonk Man, Ultimate Warrior, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Stone Cold, The Rock, Triple H, Benoit, Jericho, Kurt Angle, Edge, RVD, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, or Carlito?

It just seems like recently the guys who have won the prestigious title cant live up to the hype, and that the IC matches have lost the luster of previous generations. The last good IC title match I remember seeing was Chris Jericho vs Jeff Hardy (in which Jericho won giving him his record eighth IC title). I used to remember watching most IC matches at the edge of my seat, in anticipation to see who the company was going to make their next "go to guy."

The IC title is a stepping stone in many rights, but at the same time its also a cherished and respected title which should be treated as such. There hasn't been too many great IC title defenses, and it seems like they will pretty much give the title to anyone nowadays.

Santino Marella is on his second title reign, and he still shows no real wrestling talent, Kofi Kingston as talented and electric as he is in the ring, wasn't in the company long before he won his title from Jericho, it almost seemed a little premature, having no real title defenses before losing it to Marella a few weeks later.

This is all recent activity in the IC ranks, but there have been other mistakes as far as the division is concerned, using the IC title less and less on RAW is a concern, the IC title was established as a workhorse title, one to hone the skills of future Heavyweight champs ands that's kind of hard to do in five minute warm up matches without the title on the line.

When has there been a No. 1 contender race for the IC title recently, or a good rivalry not one made up at the last minute? How about building the title around established second tier wrestlers like Kane or Rey Mysterio rather than wasting the gold on Santino?

Or if you are going to give it to an up and coming star, why not someone who's a little more worth the expense, like Charlie Haas (who's been around, is talented, and with the right push could become the company's next "go to guy", just like Shelton Benjamin) or Lance Cade maybe even Kofi Kingston again later on (after some more air time, and a chance to build some legitimate rivalries that wont fizzle out like the one he had with Shelton).

Hell even D'Lo Brown would be a far greater draw as an IC champ seeing that he has previous experience holding that title.

Another problem that plagues the IC divison is the over-influx of Heavyweight competitors, in other words too many great wrestlers all concerned with the World Heavyweight Title. I mean c'mon you have Jericho, Batista, HBK, JBL, CM Punk, Kane, Mysterio, Randy Orton, and John Cena how about one of those wrestlers taking an interest in the IC title, I mean look at the roster of RAW stars, most of the remaining are jobbers like Santino with no real fan base.

Can the IC title be restore to it's previous glory? Yes, but will it be done that's quite a different question. Until then we are to just going to have to settle for whatever "the higher ups" thinks is good for business.

WWE's Top Five Underdog Match-Ups

Alberto Cortez — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:43:33 -0400

What makes a good match up? Many will argue its the combination of good vs evil, or pure athleticism. I beg to differ, I think some of the most memorable and anticipated matches have been underdog stories.

Underdog stories hit close to home for all fans, the idea that a smaller guy, or a guy with no in ring experience can somehow survive a match or even win against a bigger, stronger, more skilled opponent captivates us all.

Not all underdog match ups are necessarily cruiserweights vs ultra-heavyweights like in the picture above, sometime it's just a matter of one an outclassed opponent standing toe to toe with a more ruthless adversary.

The idea of an average guy rising to the occasion inspires us all to strive against the obstacles in our own lives, like standing up to bullies, a pushy boss or just to basically reach for that brass ring.

What are the five most memorable underdog moments in WWE history?

Rey Mysterio vs. The Great Khali: This mismatch had Mysterio as the number one contender to Khali's World Heavyweight Title. This David and Goliath encounter was ended quickly after an assault on Mysterio where the Khali's vice grip caused a fountain of blood to pour from Mysterio's mouth. When The Animal Batista entered the fray to lay Mysterio a hand and turn the tides into a Triple Threat match, Mysterio pulled out all the stops to keep up with the big boys, although in a losing effort . But for all his guts and his never say die attitude, Mysterio vs Khali has to be the biggest underdog story, and Mysterio's hardest uphill climb... literally.
Shane McMahon vs. Kane: Here comes the money! This underdog rivalry is quite possibly my favorite. Shane although born with a silver spoon, with no former training or never being officially recognized as a wrestler chose to avenge his family after a newly unmasked Kane terrorized RAW for weeks including the destruction of RVD , a chokeslam to the GM Eric Bischoff and a Tombstone Piledriver to Shane's mom, Linda McMahon. This lead to some of the most intense promo's in both mens' careers, and not to mention two epic encounters, a Last Man Standing Match with saw Shane miss a lead from atop a 30-foot scaffold, and an brutal Ambulance Match. It was quite possibly Shane's finest moment as he held nothing back surprising all the critics, but more importantly surprising Kane.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar: Mr. Latino Heat turned the tables on the unstoppable Brock Lesnar, many claiming that Eddie could not match up to Lesnar's stature and strength, he took an opportunity and hit Lesnar with a his patented Frog Splash for the victory and the WWE Championship. Leading up to this match, Lesnar seemed a little too confident, thinking that the match was won before it ever began. He took every opportunity he could to embarrass and emasculate Guerrero making sure he knew who the bigger better man was, even bringing a mariachi band to poke at Guerrero's Latino heritage. Lesnar was if nothing else, shocked by Guerrero's determination and athleticism, and he learned never to question Guerrero's "Latino Heat."
Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker: After the Brand Extension in 2002, the Hardyz were forced to split, and Jeff Hardy remained on Raw while brother Matt began his singles career on Smackdown as "Matt Hardy version 1.0". Jeff floundering, decided to make a stand an get the attention of the WWE Undisputed Champion The Undertaker if he was to be taken seriously. He was a little more suicidal then anything commented Jerry Lawler, "Taker is someone you just don't wanna get the attention of." Hardy week after week interrupted Big Evil, demanding a WWE title match, with Taker decimating him every time. Jeff would rise again and yell louder, chiding Undertaker to continue fighting him, this would culminate in Hardy's last stand, a Ladder Match on Raw for the WWE title. The match was an instant classic, Hardy showing his mettle as singles star, showcasing the skills that today make him a crowd favorite, and he was literally moments away from grabbing the title in what could have been the biggest upset in RAW history, but a chokeslam from the top of the ladder was the end for Hardy. Even Still after the match was over Hardy grabbed the mic and yelled frustrated at the Undertaker saying "I'm still standing," prompting Taker to return to the ring, the crowd expecting Big Evil to destroy the young opponent, instead were surprised as Taker raised Hardy's hand in the air signifying that Jeff hard earned the Undertaker's respect.
Zach Gowan vs Vince McMahon: Many have already forgotten the short-lived career of the one-legged warrior that irked Mr. McMahon. Zach was probably the biggest underdog the WWE had ever seen, even still he managed to get victories over Shanon Moore and Matt Hardy. McMahon did everything in his power to get rid of the young Zach to prevent his liability if anything should happen to the already handicapped wrestler. Finally fed up, McMahon ordered a match between the two that saw the valiant Zach Gowan give McMahon the fight of his life, and he would have beaten him if it weren't for outside interference from Brock Lesnar. Not exactly what I consider the best wrestling, but notable nonetheless.

Some memorable mentions for top underdogs:

Eugene
Spike Dudley
Hornswoggle
Brooklyn Brawler
Maven
Colin Delaney
Stevie Richards

Why Has WWE Erased Chris Benoit From Memory?

Alberto Cortez — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:41:17 -0400

No one is saying that what he did to his family and his own life in his last hours wasn't a tragedy....

I agree that it was a terrible and shocking act... the truth is speculation will always surround the death of Chris Benoit and his family, because no one will ever know what caused it, what made him snap.

Close friends to Benoit from the industry that made him a star publicly shared their views on his death and the exploitations that the media took to attack the industry—steroid usage and the WWE.

The one issue that was never addressed from any angle was WWE's almost immediate erasure of Benoit's entire career that spanned years in ECW, WCW, and the WWE.

wwe.com has no reference to Benoit, and edited the entire history to make sure that he is nowhere to be found on their pages...

While the ending of his life was tragic, and media hotheads and glorified cue-card readers like Nancy Grace, who know nothing of the wrestling world that Benoit was apart of, call him a monster, the industry that created him, WWE, responds by pulling any and all mentions of Benoit from their website, from their PPV channels, and from all WWE merchandise.

I understand that there may be certain pressures from Benoit's family next of kin, who might take exception to the continual reminding of Benoit's legacy on websites like wwe.com, but WWE officials seemed a little more than eager to pull the plug on a man who gave his life to the business.

I am not asking to glorify him, but to simply acknowledge the contributions he made, what does it matter how his life ended, should that out-weight how he lived his life and how he inspired millions of fans....

This is simply my opinion, and as such I feel its only right to remember Benoit as a beloved performer and not as a murderer (although that image and stigma will always remain). I am sure his family feels the same way.

I'd at least like to know what the specific reason behind WWE deleting his career from the history book is—I'd much rather know than continue speculating it. WWE has a way of sweeping things under the rug, and I just want to say—you're not fooling anyone, we can see you under there hiding under that rug, you are terrible at hide and seek.