Raw Rewind 29 September 1997

Craig Wilson

Last week in #Rawrewind Stone Cold finally Stunnered Vince McMahon at the historic MSG venue and The Undertaker was left lying after an attack from steel chair shots from HBK and Triple H. This is the final Raw is War ahead of the ‘In Your House: Bad Blood’ PPV and features The Undertaker v Triple H in the main event.

All the previous Raw Rewinds can be located here.

Champion Roll Call:

WWF Champion: Bret Hart
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Vacant
WWF Tag Team Champions: The Headbangers
WWF European Champion: Shawn Michaels

Sunday Sermon: The WWE Network: Is it Best For Business Or should they Pull the Plug?

Brian Damage, Craig Wilson and Jamie Lithgow

(Image courtesy of www2.esmas.com)

In September of 2011, the WWE advertised the launch of a network exclusive to the company simply called the WWE Network. It was met with huge fanfare but that was 2 years ago and there is still no network to speak of. What happened? Is it still a reality? What can we expect if it does come to fruition? Is this a “Wrestlemania” or an “XFL” type of an idea? In this Sunday Sermon Brian, Craig and Jamie discuss the WWE Network, what they like and dislike about the potential of an exclusive wrestling network and if the project is ever going to get off the ground…

This Week in Wrestling

Craig Wilson & Jamie Lithgow

Triple H and Stephanie may be at the forefront of WWE TV but neither are getting the level of heel heat you’d expect (Image courtesy of http://www.zimbio.com)

I’d be lying if I was to say I was a fan of the whole authority figure on TV thing. Sure, after the ‘Montreal Screwjob’ Mr McMahon was great and was at the forefront of the WWF finally overcoming WCW in the Monday Night Wars. But you’ve got to agree, since then it’s been done to death, right?

Of course, it’s Vince’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H that are the authority figures in the WWE at the moment as they run roughshot over the WWE in their quest for what is ‘best for business’. However, I can’t help but think that neither of them is getting anything like the level of heel heat that you’d expect from such a position.

Jim Cornette Fiddles While Pro Wrestling Burns

Brian Damage

(Image courtesy of http://www.tupwrestlingforum.com)

One of the most brutally honest, outspoken and controversial personalities in the history of professional wrestling Jim Cornette is at it again. Recently Cornette made the bold statement that “Pro Wrestling is dead.”  The science and the art of professional wrestling no longer exists. The ruination coming from years of Hulk Hogan, Vince Russo, ECW and the Kliq. The days of Dick Murdoch, the Midnight Express, the Four Horsemen and Ricky Steamboat are long gone. Psychology replaced by bikinis, logic replaced by curse words…tag team wrestling extinct, managers a forgotten breed….everything recreated by a corporate model of “Sports Entertainment.”

Is he correct? Is pro wrestling really dead? I’ve read many forums where opinions range from he is 100% correct to he’s just a bitter man who doesn’t “get it” anymore. Where do you stand? Who do you agree with more? Let’s review…

Top Five: Worst Gimmicks

Craig Wilson, Brian Damage & Jamie Lithgow

(Image courtesy of http://loewrestling.com/)

It used to be that to make it in wrestling you had to have a gimmick. A memorable catchphrase and a quirky get-up also helped. Heck, you didn’t even need to be that great a wrestler and in many instances it seemed that the focus was on their main occupation such as working for the IRS or being a garbage man.

Sure, some of these were short lived but others managed to hang on for dear life a lot longer than they really should have. This week in the Top Five Craig, Brian and Jamie share their thoughts on the worst gimmicks in wrestling history. Take this journey with us as these are the worst of the worst.

Icons of Wrestling #9 – Repo Man

Jamie Lithgow

Jake had a snake, Bossman had a nightstick, The Mountie had a cattle prod and Repo Man had a tow rope, obviously.

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 279lbs
Hometown: The Motor City
Years Active: 1991-1993
Fun Fact: Repo Man was given a makeover in March 1993, complete with full head mask, just in time for his last match before being canned.

The Rhodes Vs The McMahons: 30 Years In The Making

Brian Damage

(Image courtesy of jkwrestling.com)

In my view, the hottest feud in the WWE right now is not Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton or CM Punk vs Paul Heyman….it is the “worked” feud between the Rhodes family and the McMahons. Why is it the most intriguing to me? It’s because it’s nearly 30 years in the making.

30 years of real animosity, jealousy and differences….now finally coming to a head all these years later. Forget the year long build up of John Cena vs Rock for Wrestlemania…the Rhodes/McMahon battles have been going on as long or longer than some of you reading have been alive. A large reason for the years of animosity stem from Dusty Rhodes being a big face for Vince’s adversaries in the NWA territories. It also had to do with Dusty being the head booker for a majority of those years as well.

Raw Rewind: 22 September 1997

Craig Wilson

This #Rawrewind takes place at MSG, the Monday after WWF’s UK PPV ‘One Night Only’ where Shawn Michaels won the European Championship. On the show the Intercontinental Title tournie continues and the main event is Bret Hart v Goldust in a non-title match.

All the previous Raw Rewinds can be located here.

Champion Roll Call:

WWF Champion: Bret Hart
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Vacant
WWF Tag Team Champions: The Headbangers
WWF European Champion: Shawn Michaels

Sunday Sermon: TNA, is the end nigh?

Craig Wilson, Brian Damage, Kenneth Richardson and Jamie Lithgow

(Image courtesy of http://www.mirror.co.uk)

This week another on screen talent left TNA, this time being Mickie James. Over the past few months various performers have left the company including the Gutcheck winners, former Aces & Eights such as Devon and D.OC as well as, more controversially, Jesse Sorenson.

They say that desperate times call for desperate measures and that certainly appears the case with it appearing that Dixie Carter turned heel this week on Impact and AJ Styles new angle being that he is wrestling without a contract. In this Sunday Sermon Craig, Brian, Kenneth and Jamie look at TNA in general terms and the various problems the company is suffering from.