Bleacher Report - Articles by Joe Taylor

Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in WWE History

Joe Taylor — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:17:24 -0400

There have been many memorable and classic moments in the history of the WWE. Here are my most memorable moments.

10. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock—WrestleMania XIX

The final chapter in the greatest rivalry in the history of the WWE and between the two best superstars in the history of the WWE. It was also Stone Cold's final match. However, there are rumors he could be back in the ring at WrestleMania XXV. It was a good match, but the post-match farewells were what made it memorable for me.

9. Ultimate Warrior Beats Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI

I was always a big Ultimate Warrior fan, so it was great to see him beat the Hulkster. The post-match embrace between the two was also memorable.

8. Fan Reaction to John Cena vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 22

This may seem like a strange choice, but the fans in this match were unbelievable. I've never heard a fan reaction like it; they were so passionate. They severely booed everything Cena did and loudly cheered everything Triple H did.

At the time, I was one of those who booed Cena, but now I cheer for him. He has won me over with a string of very good matches. I'll have more to say about Cena in a future article.

7. Stone Cold Beer Bath to the McMahons and The Rock

This is an all-time classic Raw moment. It had action, great microphone work, surprise, and humor. They've tried to emulate this since, but they will never manage to top it.

6. Hulk Hogan Slams Andre the Giant

A lot of people may put this at No. 1, but being born in '87, I've never actually seen this live. Therefore, it is not as memorable in my mind. However, it is still a classic image that never gets old, which is why it still makes my list.

5. Stone Cold vs. Bret "Hitman" Hart at WrestleMania 13

An incredible match between two legends. The match turned Austin into a superstar and it was one of the early signs for the new WWF Attitude Era. It was also the perfect way to do a double turn. Austin became a face and Bret Hart became a heel. There was great imagery too, with Austin's face pouring with blood while in the sharpshooter.

4. The Montreal Screw Job

The night the script went out the window. Nobody could believe what happened that night, and this will probably never happen again. It will never be forgotten. Just ask Earl Hebner and Vince McMahon every time they head over to Canada.

3. Ric Flair's Retirement

This was incredibly well done by the WWE. The whole WrestleMania weekend went perfectly. The Hall of Fame ceremony was well done, followed by the Flair and Shawn Michaels epic match. Finally, the RAW farewell was a fitting finale.

2. Eddie Guerrero and Owen Hart Tribute Shows

These two tributes were impossible to separate. They were both very emotional and fitting tributes to two phenomenal superstars in WWE history. It was strange to see all these huge superstars reduced to tears.

Here it is: my most memorable and possibly my favorite match of all time.

1. Undertaker vs. Mankind—Hell in a Cell

It was a great match. It had everything, including surprise, suspense, drama, raw emotion, and good action. Of course, the two memorable moments were Mick Foley's two falls from the top of the cell. I have never seen anything like it before. Every time you see a WWE best moments package I guarantee you will always see moments from this match.

These are just my opinions. Feel free to disagree and submit some of your favorite moments.

Why Soccer Will Never Be Big in the U.S.

Joe Taylor — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 08:58:43 -0400

I'm an English football fan. It is a huge part of my life, I love playing it and I enjoy watching it.

There are many things I love about football, but there are some things I do not like about it. Aside from the poor referees and Arsenal, another huge dislike for me is the word soccer. England invented the game of football, and they called it football because you kick a ball with your foot, hence—football.

So I don't understand why it is called soccer.

Of course, football is called soccer in the USA. Football is the most popular sport on the entire planet, yet in the most important country on the planet, it remains unpopular. Why?

The U.S is a nation that has provided some of the greatest sportsman ever, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, the list could go forever. However, though, you will not find any footballers in the list.

One of the reasons football has never taken off in America is because they are not good at it. There has been no major U.S. soccer player to have played the sport. In the U.S. their most popular sport is American Football, that's because they are the best at it. The same with baseball and basketball.

I've heard many times, that in America a majority of young children all play soccer, but then as you grow older and you start to fill out and become more muscular you are encouraged to take up Amercian Football.

That's because thats where the money is in the U.S. That's what receives the most publicity and attention.

In the UK, it is every young boys dream to play in the World Cup final. I doubt that you will find any young Americans with that dream, instead their dream is to play in the Super Bowl.

Until that changes soccer will never be as big. People will always want to play in what is seen as the bigger and better sport. It will not change though, because football still does not receive as much publicity.

Many players, including the best player of all time Pele, have tried and failed to make soccer big in America. Right now David Beckham is attempting to make it big. He may succeed in getting a few extra people to play the sport, but no way near the numbers to make it their most popular sport.

Will the U.S. ever join the rest of the world and embrace football as their most popular sport?

Which WWE Superstars Could Handle the UFC?

Joe Taylor — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:23:56 -0400

With Brock Lesnar recently winning his first UFC match and Bobby Lashley looking to make his MMA debut, it got me thinking—Who else from the WWE could sucsessfully make the jump from pro wrestling to MMA?

I've made a list of some of the top WWE superstars and discussed how they could adapt to the UFC, could they even be able to compete with "real" fighters, and if they would ever consider leaving pro wrestling for mixed martial arts.

John Cena
It's always been said about Cena that he's not the best technical wrestler but he can fight. But could he fight in the UFC? John Cena vs Chuck Liddell. There's only going to be one winner.

I don't think John Cena cares though, he would'nt want to compete in the UFC. He would only leave WWE for a film career but he has already stated that he will not do a Rock and leave WWE for Hollywood. He will happily stay in the WWE and make millions for himself and for Vince Mcmahon.

Triple H
He is another one is never going to leave the WWE as he despreately wants to take over from Vince. However, if he were to compete, I don't think he would fair well in MMA. He's got no real amatuer wrestling skills and I don't think he would be that great in a fist fight against any UFC fighter.

Undertaker
The Undertaker is a fan of the UFC and I think he would handle the UFC a lot better than either Cena or Triple H could but I feel that he would be too old to have any impact on the UFC. Taker has good submissions, understands MMA, and I think he can deliver a pretty good punch. He would be able to strike fear into his opponents.

CM Punk
Out of any of the superstars in the WWE, I think CM Punk is the only one who could have a succseful carrer in the UFC. This is because he has trained in MMA and has the right work ethic.

His straight edge gimmick is his real life and he treats WWE as a sport. He could easily adapt to the UFC. I think a CM Punk vs BJ Penn would be a brilliant fight.

The big question is, Would Punk ever make the jump? I think if the UFC becomes bigger and more popular he could make the jump but if he stays World Heavyweight Champion he isn't likely to leave the WWE anytime soon.

Big Show
This may seem like a funny choice becuase there is nobody like the Big Show in UFC, but he could be a dangerous fighter in MMA. A lot of people were talking about what would happen at Wrestlemania XXIV if the Mayweather, Big Show match were real. I think Show would have won.

I think one hit with that fist of his would be a knockout blow. He would be veryhard to take down because he is too big, this would also make it difficult to submitt him. It would be too gard to knock him out too because he is too tall. His only problem would be his stamina. He would'nt be able to last 15 minutes of UFC action.

Best of the Rest
Vladimir Kozlov could very well turn to MMA. He has similar build and style to Lashley. I think it would also be a good move for him. Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Edge, Randy Orton—none of these really strike me as UFC material. JBL as always been seen as a legitamate tough guy, but he would get completely outwrestled or submitted.

I can't really think of any more WWE superstars but if you can I'l be happy to hear your suggestions.

If you look at the TNA roster, it's easy to see who could make the jump: Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe. Joe trains in MMA and Angle is an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling.

I don't think Joe will be leaving pro wrestling anytime soon because he has not accomplished a great deal in the wrestling world but I think sooner rather than later Angle will head to the UFC. He has constantly expressed an intrest in it and he would relish the challenge. Whether is body and health could cope with it is a whole different debate.

I would love to see Angle compete in the UFC, but will it ever happen?