Sure, why not. Whatever. WWE Network and Wrestlemania

[Atomic]

Great Eddie story, thanks TUP. I was never huge fan of his in WCW and had pretty much abandoned wrestling by the time he ended up in WWE. But his talent was undeniable.

[The Unknown Poster]

Great Eddie story, thanks TUP. I was never huge fan of his in WCW and had pretty much abandoned wrestling by the time he ended up in WWE. But his talent was undeniable.

He was really good by the end of his WCW run and unbelievable in WWE. He was the Daniel Bryan of his day as far as connecting with the audience. Him beating Brock for the world title was something special.

[Atomic]

 

Great Eddie story, thanks TUP. I was never huge fan of his in WCW and had pretty much abandoned wrestling by the time he ended up in WWE. But his talent was undeniable.

He was really good by the end of his WCW run and unbelievable in WWE. He was the Daniel Bryan of his day as far as connecting with the audience. Him beating Brock for the world title was something special.

 

 

When was that?  I'll see if I can find it on the network.

[The Unknown Poster]

No Way Out 2004

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x197561_wwe-no-way-out-2004-brock-lesnar-vs-eddie-guerrero_sport

Should also watch his match with JBL. Insane blood bath.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2e4x32_eddie-guerrero-vs-jbl-wwe-judgment-day-2004_sport

[Atomic]

No Way Out 2004

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x197561_wwe-no-way-out-2004-brock-lesnar-vs-eddie-guerrero_sport

Should also watch his match with JBL. Insane blood bath.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2e4x32_eddie-guerrero-vs-jbl-wwe-judgment-day-2004_sport

 

Nice!  I love JBL.

[iso_55]

I guarantee Bryan would have no problem working if wwe released him. New Japan, ROH, Mexico and a plethora of Indy promotions would book him. He'd make a lot of money and control his bookings.

I guess it depends how you look at concussion research. If his brain tests above average then there is nothing keeping him from working right now. Keeping him out because he might get hurt could apply to everyone. Id let him work.

So many lawsuits in the US... the NFL & NHL. I don't blame Vince for not letting him wrestle. Thing is, they should release him if he still wants to wrestle. He's not doing the WWE any good sitting on the sidelines. How much of Bryan's contract is guaranteed because of injury? Does he get all of it or a percentage? 

[The Unknown Poster]

He would get his downside guarantee. I don't know what it is. A downside is just a guarantee against injury or bad booking or not being booked. He makes his real money through bonuses from working shows (the higher up the card or more of a draw the better you get bonused).

And merch and licensing is huge. He did very well on merch which he won't be by not working.

I agree they should release him if he wants. There are benefits to being under contract. If he does decide he will retire then being with wwe provides stable income.

Wwe also has the option to extend contracts due to injury. They did that with Rey.

[iso_55]

Bryan could always become an NXT trainer since Billy Gunn was fired.

[The Unknown Poster]

Bryan could always become an NXT trainer since Billy Gunn was fired.

Thats a great idea. If he can accept his career being over that would make a lot of sense.

[Brandon Blue&Gold]

Ten years ago today, Eddie Guerrero passed away.

 

There are very few wrestlers in history who combined talent, charisma, look, professionalism, effort and pride like he did.  Truly one of the greatest of all time.  If he was around today and 10 years younger, he'd have the world at his feet (and probably be the #2 guy in WWE).

 

I'd like to tell a story about meeting Eddie if you will oblige:

 

I was incredibly lucky to have worked with Eddie in 2002.  We booked him on our official company launch which drew over 1700 fans at the IGAC at the UofM.  It almost didnt happen.  He had worked the previous night for a promotion in Illinois (I believe it was Ian Rotten).  Eddie's home base was Florida so the way three-way bookings work is the first promoter (Ian) would fly Eddie from his home in Florida to Illinois, we'd split the Illinois to Winnipeg leg and then we'd fly him home.  We asked Ian to make sure Eddie got into Chicago as early as possible after the show because his flight was pretty early the next day.

 

My partner and I went to the airport (this was a Sunday) to meet Eddie.  We're waiting downstairs at International arrivals and all the passengers clear but no Eddie.  We'd eventually learn this was routine with wrestlers coming through Winnipeg.  I receive a phone call on my cell and it's Eddie.  He reports customs is hassling him.

 

When we booked Eddie he had previously been arrested on a DUI but the case was before the courts and he expected it to go away.  About a week before the show he ended up pleading no-contest.  That posed a problem for coming into Canada.  Long story short, Customs deemed Eddie a risk to Canada and wouldnt let him in. 

 

Because we knew of the DUI, we had spoken to our corporate attorney and received some advice, which amounted to throwing himself on the mercy of the customs agent.  I gave Eddie the hard sell about how important he was to the show etc.  A few minutes later, a customs agent came out and explained that while Eddie was deemed a risk to Canada, that risk could be assuaged by paying off Customs by getting a special permit (I cant remember how much it was).

 

So we pay that and Eddie comes out looking very, very tired.  He explains that after the previous night's show, the promoter basically left him on his own.  He managed to get a ride into Chicago from someone on the ring crew but had to wait til he was done tearing down the equipment.  He tried several hotels that were all booked due to a convention in town.  He eventually just called a friend and slept on his couch for about two hours before he had to go to the airport and come to Winnipeg.

 

Our show was a Sunday and Eddie was flying back to Florida on Monday and then was leaving to Japan on Tuesday morning for a long tour that was very important to him as far as proving to WWE that he was fully beyond his prior issues.  So originally he had been reluctant to come to Canada so close to that date.  Once he came in, he told me that when Customs was hassling him he was close to just getting back on the plane and going home but my speech to him inspired him to come in and work for us....

 

For the 24 hours he was with us, he was incredibly nice, kind, professional.  Being exhausted, he just wanted to go to the hotel and sleep.  We had arranged a telephone interview with local radio and an in-person autograph session and TV interview.  He did both without complaint. 

 

We had put him up in a hotel close to the University and told him he could rest until close to match time but he insisted on coming down early and being around the boys.  He watched several of the matches including a tag team TLC match and joked about having to follow them. 

 

He went out and had a great match with a young guy that while good for a young local guy was not nearly in Eddie's league.  Eddie even suggested a finish to the match which involved his opponent and his opponent's ally ending up in the 69 position and Eddie frog splashing them both.  He asked to address the roster in the post-show meeting and gave a wonderful speech to all the boys.

 

He insisted on attending the after party even though it was very late and was in a bar (Eddie was a recovering addict and didnt drink).  He put on a "PCW" shirt and happily took pics with everyone who wanted and politely declined several offers of drinks and shooters.  He quietly approached our booker and asked if he'd mind if he made a suggestion on a future match.  Eddie offered to come back and work Rey Misterio.  Before he left he told me to keep in touch.

 

I drove him to the airport the next day and he was very gracious.  His tour of Japan had been a success and rumors sprung up that Misterio was signing with WWE and Eddie might be next.  I called Eddie and asked if Rey was still available.  He told me to "kayfabe" (ie. keep it a secret) but no, he was no longer available.  I asked "what about you" and he paused before saying "It looks like I wont be either".  He later called me to recommend Jerry Lynn.

 

As luck would have it, our little promotion ended up being Eddie' last North American appearance before he re-signed with WWE in April 2002.  He ended up doing a Ring of Honor show after he had signed with WWE.  In fact, I think he was IC Champion when he did ROH as he returned to WWE and immediately won the IC title.

 

It might seem odd to say that a guy we knew for such a brief period made such a huge impact but he really did.  When he died, it was heart-breaking to so many members of our roster who had met him.  We had a tribute show that was very emotional.

 

Here is a news story from Eddie's Winnipeg appearance:

 

 

The Honky Tonk Man appears in the news story as well and an amusing footnote is that he was very upset with our booker because he didnt know Eddie was booked.  He thought it was unprofessional because our booker had told HTM that he and Brutus were the main event and then booked Eddie.  I ended up talking with Honky about it and he was mad that Eddie got paid so much more than him using the logic "is Eddie going to dance?  Is Eddie going to sing?  No, so why do you pay him more than me".  I replied "Because he's Eddie Guerrero and everyone came to see him" (silly reply) and Honky retorted "Oh really, do you have special Eddie Guerrero tickets that people bought that said they were there to see him and not me?"  lol

 

Here is the match, Eddie vs Will Damon (dont judge us too harshly, this was 2002!)

 

 

Great Eddie story, thanks for posting this.  I was at this show and many other PCW shows in the early to mid 2000s when I still lived in Winnipeg.  Even had a buddy and former buddy who reffed and wrestled respectively, at certain points for PCW.  Lot of fun nights.  Eddie was one of my favourites.  His matches with Kurt Angle were always fantastic (loosening his boot laces to escape the Angle Lock, LOL) as they were against many other opponents.  He left far too soon.  

[Brandon Blue&Gold]

 

Thanks for the video clips & insider news about Eddie Guerrero, UP. Honky Tonk Man is hillarious. 

No problem.  Thanks for watching!

 

Honky is a lot of fun but can be a handfull.  We've had him out here many times and that booking in 2002 was for 4 days!  I have some stories I shouldnt tell...  but I will say that I really liked Honky every time he's come in for us.  I find him easy to get along with and he's always worked hard for me.  We took him to Brandon a couple of years ago and he was quite excited to get in the ring with Omega!

 

During the 2002 booking, since he and Beefcake were here for several days, we had a free night and I took him to Burton Cummings' house.  I have some very awesome video of the two of them singing HTM's theme song together and sitting at Burton's piano.  Someone hands HTM a guitar and he admits he cant play!

 

Was this show part of the TJ Bratt retirement tour?  If so I was at this show.  Had a blast, good to hear Bratt tee off one last time.  And Kenny Omega is always great to watch.  Even dragged my future wife to it.  She put up with it (keeper  ).

[The Unknown Poster]

Yes it was that Bratt retirement tour! I had promised never to work with him again but he convinced me! Ugh. Lol. But it was a fun show!!

Who was your friend that wrestled and reffed??

[Brandon Blue&Gold]

Yes it was that Bratt retirement tour! I had promised never to work with him again but he convinced me! Ugh. Lol. But it was a fun show!!

Who was your friend that wrestled and reffed??

The ref buddy was S. Bowman (not his real name lol, he did it part time I believe, more for #$@^s and giggles than anything else) and the wrestler was Rob Stardom who I believe still wrestles on the local scene.  Feels like ages ago now that I think about it.  

 

Did you basically run PCW back in the early 2000's?

[The Unknown Poster]

Scotty Bowman. Yes. He worked a lot with TRCW and then for PCW for the first couple of years

I have been with PCW since the beginning. A guy named Mike and I started it. Mike left in 2003.

[Goalie]

10 years since Eddie died? Wow. Time flies. Remember that one pretty good actually. That one saddened me

[The Unknown Poster]

Anyone catch RAW and the "controversial" main event angle?

[Goalie]

Ya. They offended people who didn't know the younger flair. Good.

[The Unknown Poster]

I was just discussing it on another forum.  Its really goofy. 

 

For those that dont know what we're talking about, WWE went with a "Contract Signing" between Paige and "Divas" Champion Charlotte as the main event of RAW.  Charlotte mentioned her father (Ric Flair) and little brother Reid who died of a drug over-dose in the early stages of his pro wrestling career.  Paige responded by insulting Ric and saying "You're little brother didnt put up much of a fight did he?" (Or something to that effect) which was supposed to be the big shocking climax, leading to a brawl (they never did sign the contract).

 

As a segment, I didnt hate it.  I thought it added heat and importance to the match.  Its a shame really, that an average at best segment is considered really good.

 

The talk is mostly surrounding the decision to use Reid's OD death in an angle.  To me, the bigger problem is that they did it so poorly.  They take for granted that the whole world knows everything about wrestling.  I didnt even think they put Ric over very strongly in the segment. 

 

The true story is that Reid wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps.  It was his dream to be a pro wrestler.  He died and Charlotte entered WWE developmental to live her brother's dream.  Thats all true.  But they take for granted everyone knows it.

 

You cant have a heel tear someone down without first building them up.  They have video of Reid.  if they wanted to use Reid in an angle (and I would suspect Reid wouldnt mind) they should have presented it a lot better.  But ofcourse they dont really want to talk about drug overdoses.  They want their cake and to eat it too.

 

It doesnt help that the Divas in particular are terribly over-scripted.  The use of "Diva" is unbelievably passe. 

 

I think WWE wanted to capitalize on the media surrounding Rousey/Holm and thats why they put the segment last and needed a climax.  The questions are, who's idea was it to use Reid's death, did Charlotte and Ric okay it, did they really want to do it (okaying it because it's a main event segment that your boss wants to do is different from actually being okay with it).  Reid's mom tweeted her disgust with it so neither Charlotte or Ric gave her the heads up (or they did and she still hated it).

 

I actually thought RAW was decent.  Owens/Neville was tremendous.  Owens might be the best performer they've got right now.  Cesaro carried Roman to a pretty good match too.  Even the silly Undertaker stuff, which I know a lot of fans hated, I was fine with.  It's the right use of Kane and Taker now, barring one last "dream" match for Taker (against whom, Im not sure).

[iso_55]

Pretty hard to take seriously a 50 year old plus Undertaker, a guy who bounces around from being the Comedic Kane in the back to Corporate Kane & now Demon Kane feuding with a guy who can't win wrestlng matches on his own in Bray Wyatt along with a 7 foot untalented pylon in Stroman, (sorry to insult the pylon) & the other 2 stooges beside him. That whole feud just has the pungent aroma of rotting garbage.

The big question is WHY?

[The Unknown Poster]

Pretty hard to take seriously a 50 year old plus Undertaker, a guy who bounces around from being the Comedic Kane in the back to Corporate Kane & now Demon Kane feuding with a guy who can't win wrestlng matches on his own in Bray Wyatt along with a 7 foot untalented pylon in Stroman, (sorry to insult the pylon) & the other 3 stooges beside him. That whole feud just has the pungent aroma of rotting garbage.

The big question is WHY?

It explains why Kane was suddenly put in to a program with Seth, to try and rehabilitate him up the card.

 

I dont mind it.  The wrestling wont be good but sometimes a good gimmick is a nice distraction.  I think there is enough good will between the fans and Kane/Taker that its a decent draw.

[iso_55]

 

Pretty hard to take seriously a 50 year old plus Undertaker, a guy who bounces around from being the Comedic Kane in the back to Corporate Kane & now Demon Kane feuding with a guy who can't win wrestlng matches on his own in Bray Wyatt along with a 7 foot untalented pylon in Stroman, (sorry to insult the pylon) & the other 3 stooges beside him. That whole feud just has the pungent aroma of rotting garbage.

The big question is WHY?

It explains why Kane was suddenly put in to a program with Seth, to try and rehabilitate him up the card.

 

I dont mind it.  The wrestling wont be good but sometimes a good gimmick is a nice distraction.  I think there is enough good will between the fans and Kane/Taker that its a decent draw.

 

Maybe I'm in the minority but I just think the Wyatt Family is dreadful. I think the Family angle is just about  at its end. The only things fans like is their ring entrance. It's to the point that when these guys come on I just change channels. I can watch MNF.

[Goalie]

Think you are in the minority about the Wyatts. Need more stables not less

[The Unknown Poster]

 

 

Pretty hard to take seriously a 50 year old plus Undertaker, a guy who bounces around from being the Comedic Kane in the back to Corporate Kane & now Demon Kane feuding with a guy who can't win wrestlng matches on his own in Bray Wyatt along with a 7 foot untalented pylon in Stroman, (sorry to insult the pylon) & the other 3 stooges beside him. That whole feud just has the pungent aroma of rotting garbage.

The big question is WHY?

It explains why Kane was suddenly put in to a program with Seth, to try and rehabilitate him up the card.

 

I dont mind it.  The wrestling wont be good but sometimes a good gimmick is a nice distraction.  I think there is enough good will between the fans and Kane/Taker that its a decent draw.

 

Maybe I'm in the minority but I just think the Wyatt Family is dreadful. I think the Family angle is just about  at its end. The only things fans like is their ring entrance. It's to the point that when these guys come on I just change channels. I can watch MNF.

 

I dont disagree.  Its more of the fact you can put anyone with Undertaker/Kane because they are interesting (generally) and over.  WWE really dropped the ball with Bray.  He was so over when he came in and they did their usual pull-back they do with new guys that get over and just stunted him.  And then the ill-advised split of the group when the fans were into them (and Harper and Rowen were pretty over as a monster team too).  Harper is really good and deserves better.

 

We'll see what happens on Sunday.  I suspect WWE does a big turn or swerve because they know they have to.  With ratings sinking so much and a really shallow pool of guys who are over, they need something.  I think Hunter teasing a new Authority guy is a bit heavy-handed, but that's WWE where Hunter or Steph have to be on screen at least twice per hour.

[The Unknown Poster]

Intro to the upcoming WWE produced Owen Hart DVD

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dRpp-G9MGa8

[The Unknown Poster]

Just when you think WWE has sunk as low as they can go:

WWE will be releasing a statement shortly regarding Monday night's show-closing angle involving Paige and Charlotte (Ashley Fliehr).

The gist of the statement will be that the idea of the angle came from Ashley Fliehr, that it was taken out of the show, she was insistent that it be put in, and it was. However, the company did take responsibility for the angle since it was ultimately their decision to put it on the show.

The angle involved Paige referencing the death of Charlotte's brother Reid, who passed away from an overdose on March 29, 2013, and saying clearly Reid didn't have a lot of fight in him. The angle has been the most-talked about story in pro-wrestling since it happened, virtually universally negative towards the company. It was done to set up a Divas Title match on Sunday between champion Charlotte and challenger Paige at the Survivor Series PPV.

Neither Ric Flair nor Ashley's mother Elizabeth were alerted in advance about the angle. Elizabeth was furious and posted publicly on Twitter. Ric Flair on his Woo Nation podcast noted he was very upset when watching it, and indicated that Ashley didn't have the tenure to say no to any angles or storylines presented to her. Flair's co-host Conrad stated publicly that the rumors it was Ashley's idea were 100% false.