#18 - Re-booking WCW in 1994

I am writing this blog after a few drinks of Golden Wedding Whiskey so please excuse my writing, even though I feel many of WCW's creative personnel could have used a stiff drink back in 1994 when booking. Everybody gives WCW credit for booking Hogan-Flair at Bash at the Beach and making it the "big deal" it should have been but I feel the aftermath could have been booked as good as the original match. Let's take a look ...

July - The Initial Match

Booked the same way as WCW booked it then, with Hogan winning the championship and WCW giving the fans what they wanted and that was a Hogan win

August - Clash of the Champions

Did we really need to see Hogan - Flair on TV? Sure it would have brought in ratings but why blow the 2nd battle of their feud on a TV special?  The Clash was WCW's answer to Saturday Night's Main Event so why didn't they book it the same as WWF booked SNME? The WWF booked Hogan on SNME against credible heels that fans believed MIGHT take the title from Hogan but wouldn't. I can look back at Hogan's SNME matches against Honky Tonk Man, Bob Orton, King Haku, and the Genius. All these opponents were credible heels but stood no chance at taking the Hulk's title.

I think Hulk's TBS wrestling debut would have been enough to draw ratings to this Clash of the Champions event. I look back now at the roster WCW had at the time and would have booked Hogan against Terry Funk. Funk was involved with a feud with the Rhodes family and could have easily been given a TV match against the Hulk. Hogan could have gone over easily with Funk still keeping enough credibility to keep his feud running with the Rhodes

September - Fall Brawl

At this event, we saw Flair and Hogan doing on-screen taped promos to promote their cage match at Halloween Havoc ... In retrospective, why couldn't we have Flair wrestle on this card? This event hosted the first mainstream Triangle match for a future WCW title match?

I would have had Flair wrestle instead of Ray Traylor (Big Boss Man, Guardian Angel) in the triangle match against Sting and Vader. Sting could have beaten Vader in the opening match then had Flair weasel his way to victory against Sting. This could secure Flair a title shot later in the year.

On this event, we also saw Ricky Steamboat forfeit the U.S. title to Steve Austin only for Austin to drop the title in 27 seconds to Jim Duggan. In addition, we saw Steven Regal drop his TV title to Johnny B. Badd ...

Why not book Regal to win the U.S. title, thus making him the No.1 Contender to the WCW title? Regal was really over back in 1994 in WCW. They had the confidence to book him against Larry Zbyszko and Antonio Inoki at the previous two Clash events ... so obviously they had confidence in his abilities. Why not give him a main event against Hogan like WWE had confidence to do in 2002 on RAW?

October - Halloween Havoc

Hulk Hogan vs Lord Steven Regal for the World Heavyweight Title

The positive sides of this match would be that ...

• Regal would receive a main event slot, which he deserved
• Hogan would be able to show off some of his true wrestling skill that he showed in Japan only
• WCW would put over young talent against an established face and make stars for the future
• They would have been able to save Flair-Hogan II for Starrcade

... There are no cons to this situation

November - Clash of Champions

Flair announces that he is sick of sharing the spotlight with Hogan and challenges Hogan to put their careers on the line at Starrcade ... similar to the storyline they did in reality at Halloween Havoc because ticket sales were down in Detroit!

December - Starrcade

Hogan vs Flair - The Rematch

- They could have booked this match the same, even down to the retirement angle
- They could have still had Vader earn a title shot at SuperBrawl by winning a match at Starrcade
- The biggest rematch in history would occur on the biggest event of the year! which equals ... MONEY!

I think this set of angles could have made WCW better during Hogan's first few months after entering the company! We could have been saved from the backstage politics between Hogan and Flair initially. We could have been saved from Ed Leslie (Brutus Beefcake) main-eventing Starrcade! AND we could have saved Steve Regal from becoming a Real Man's Man!

I will edit this tomorrow but this is the product of a whiskey on the rocks! I hope you enjoy

#17 - Greatest Line in the History of Pro Wrestling

At 4:30, Ric Flair may have created the greatest quote in the history of professional wrestling. Whooooooooooooooooo!

#16 - 5 Coliseum Videos You Should Watch!

I am an avid DVD/VHS collector! I probably spend at least $250 a year in WWE DVD's. Every release that peaks my interest, I buy! If I don't know if they are worthy to buy, I download it and then decide. I watch everything. One thing I am very proud of is my collection of Coliseum Home Videos. For years, I have searched St. John's to find people selling these rare gems. I had a nice collection built but it really took off in 2007 in terms of old school Coliseum Videos.

Our local video store in Bonavista was took over in recent years by the owner's son who changed business models to focus more on computer repair and sales. So this left me waiting for years to get a chance at buying the tapes I had rented so many times as a child. I was actually driving home from work one day and passed the store, Like a sixth sense, I saw a basket outside their store with a recognizable logo on the basket's contents ... They were finally selling off their wrestling tapes!!! With the skill of Stone Cold Steve Austin, I threw my pickup into reverse and pulled into the store's parking lot like a maniac.

The contents was magical ... the first ever Survivor Series, WrestleMania's, Royal Rumbles, and those classic compilation tapes Coliseum Video released. They even had many WCW releases from 1994-1995! I was like a kid in the candy store. I picked up Halloween Havoc 1994 (great card and a tape I watched many of times) and the first Survivor Series (for its historical significance and because I hadn't seen that event in ages)

I can say this much, thank God I was working because every time I had cash in my pocket, I was back at that store building my collection. With a few exceptions, I had my pick of the tapes and I loved it. The VCR will never die in my house because of these great tapes!

Sure, you can download these tapes now off your local torrent site, but there's something extra about picking the tape out of your collection and putting it into the VCR. So that is why I am going to give you five "Coliseum Videos" you should go out of your way to watch and why!

Hope you guys enjoy, have had the chance to watch these releases and hope to hear some comments!

5) Grudges, Gripes and Grunts

A great tape for the era it came from. 1993 was a transitional period in the WWF. Stars leaving and stars debuting seemed to be happening on a regular basis. This tape, until the Macho Man DVD was released in 2009, was the only place to get a superb tag team match... HBK and Ric Flair vs Macho Man and Bret Hart. Also for the Hogan marks, we receive a rare match in the Mega Maniacs (Beefcake and Hogan) in a "tune up match for WrestleMania 9" facing the Beverly Brothers. While it was not a mat classic, it is still cool to see Hogan working with other talents. Also we are given the gem of "Wrestling Lessons with the Steiners". A fun tape to watch, with Macho Man hosting as well

4) WWF World Tour (1989-1990)

Now this tape is fun to watch! We get Hulk Hogan vs Macho Man from Paris, France , Ultimate Warrior vs Ted DiBiase for the WWF Title from Japan (with a rare home video appearance by Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura on commentary) AND a Rougeaus - Rockers match also from Paris. This tape is great for the rarity of the matches as I think the only one re-released by the WWE may have been Warrior and DiBiase, which I think is on WWE Classics Online.

3) The Hart Foundation (1987)

I bought this tape because it was in tremendous shape and in fact, became the oldest tape I own! As I watched this tape, I was greeted with quality match after quality match. I also have something that no other WWE DVD boasts ... The Harts winning their first tag titles! This tape shows us an in depth analysis of the first few months the Harts were champions and their tag team run, which is great to look back on now. This tape also shows Mean Gene visiting the Hart Foundation offices which is hilarious! I recommend this tape to any fan of Bret Hart or that era of pro wrestling. You won't be disappointed!

2) SuperTape (1990)

During the 1980s, the WWF were releasing a series called the Best of the WWF and had numbered them by Volumes. In an effort to only make the name sound better, they started the SuperTape series that went two years. The first volume of this tape was great and had everything you'd look for!

• The tape opens with a hard hitting match between Ronnie Garvin and Mr. Perfect
• Followed by some comedy with Mean Gene trying to find the home of the Bushwhackers and a profile on that tag team * You've probably seen portions of these segments as Gene dresses up like a Bushwhacker which is quite funny
• A Bobby Heenan profile
• More great wrestling between Ted DiBiase and Jake Roberts
• A rare gem between Tito Santana and Rick Rude

To close things off, we have the only release of the No Holds Barred tag team Steel Cage return match ... Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake vs Macho Man and Zeus which in my books, isn't a bad match! This tape has great highlights and is another recommendation if you can find a copy either on VHS or on a torrent site

THE #1 TAPE is ... HULKAMANIA 6

If you are not a Hogan mark, you will not like this choice. In my opinion, this tape was what a Coliseum Video profile should be! We are treated to ... 

• Rare matches against the Undertaker, the Macho Man Paris match (again) and a tag match with Jim Duggan against Slaughter and Iron Sheik
• We receive the classics against King Kong Bundy and Sgt. Slaughter at WrestleManias
• A JAPAN HOGAN MATCH! His match with Stan Hansen from the WWF - All Japan Wrestling Summit in April 1990 was included on this set, which was amazing and proof that Hogan could wrestle a decent match under the Japanese style
  This was just a great tape from top to bottom and when thinking of it's style, compares to the Chris Jericho DVD set that was released in September. Jericho gave us matches from every era of his career as did Hogan in this set. I recommend this tape and Hulkamania 4 from the Hulkamania series as tapes to watch 

#13 - Top 5 Books/DVD's

A really short entry today because it's final exam time so time is hard to come by! On the suggestion of my friend Jon Parsons, who frequently comments here on the site, I will list off my Top 5 Wrestling Books and my Top 5 Wrestling DVD's!

Books:

1. Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling
2. Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks 
3. A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex
4. Bobby Heenan: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All
5. Ric Flair: To Be The Man

Honorable Mention -> Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps

DVD's

1. The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection
2. Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
3. The True Story of WrestleMania
4. The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
5. Bret Hitman Hart: The Best There Is, Best There Was and Best There Ever Will Be
   
   Honorable Mention -> The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect
   

#8 - 2012 Hall of Fame Class

WWE Hall of Fame - Class of 2012

Headliner - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (To Be Inducted By Stone Cold Steve Austin)

Co-Headliner - Mick Foley (To Be Inducted By Terry Funk)
*seeing that he has stated he will not resign with TNA this year*

Other Inductees

• Ron Simmons (Inducted by John Bradshaw Layfield)
• Arn Anderson (Inducted by Ricky Steamboat or Ric Flair, depending on availability)
• Kevin "Diesel" Nash (Inducted by HBK)
• Barry Windham (Inducted by I.R.S)

Celebrity Inductee - William Shatner (Inducted by Jerry "The King" Lawler)

Diva - Trish Stratus (Inducted by Lita)

With the main event of next year's WrestleMania already announced to be The Rock vs John Cena, they are looking for a big WrestleMania next year! They're going to have a great amount of media attention for this event, thanks to the Rock's return and it's location of Miami, Florida. The WWE will be counting on fans, both current and those who have lost interest, in buying this event for the historic moments it will deliver. These factors have influenced my decisions for the Class of 2012.

I'll give you a reason for each of my choices

Rock - This pick is a shoe-in for next year's WrestleMania. He will face off in the biggest match of the current generation the night after the event! It's in his hometown of Miami! It will also be the ten year anniversary of Hogan-Rock in the Sky dome. This one is a guarantee!

Foley - With the good relationship Foley has kept with the WWE, it seems that Foley will return to the WWE in some fashion once his contract ends with TNA. I predict that Foley will sign a deal with WWE similar to Kevin Nash, where he is "in the bullpen" if they ever need him for an appearance. Plus, Foley had a great career but I am unsure if he could headline a class, which might piss you off and allow some people to make comparisons that inducting Rock and Foley in the same class is like inducting Hogan and Piper in the same class. While Foley is a legend, I think he is the perfect co-headliner like Mr. Perfect was in 2007. Foley is a big star, a legend that is the perfect compliment to any class

Ron Simmons - He should have been inducted this year seeing he resides from Georgia but it does make sense to induct him in Florida due to his college football history in the state! A great addition to the Hall

Arn Anderson - The most overdue inductee of all time THAT is still with the company! It's almost as if the WWE shuns away their road agents from going into the Hall. It's as if they take the Agents for granted and always look outside for their Hall of Fame class. It took Dusty Rhodes two years to be apart of the Hall of Fame. It took Ricky Steamboat four years before they inducted him. Arn Anderson has been with the company since the WCW buyout! It's not like he doesn't deserve a spot (I just flashed back to his retirement speech and how he offered his spot in the Horsemen to Curt Hennig). He is a multi-time tag champion in WCW, 1 tag title run in WWF, the greatest WCW TV Champion in history AND was apart of the greatest stable in history ... You mean to tell me that doesn't warrant entry into the Hall of Fame alone (they rumored that he would be inducted only as part of the Horsemen, which is a damn shame)

Nash - Let's see ... He is a former WWF and WCW World Champion. He was the 3rd Triple Crown Winner in WWF History (three major titles, all of which occurred within 12 months). He was a founding member of the New World Order, a group who helped facilitate the Monday Night Wars, which rekindled the business! On top of his accolades, he has a renewed business relationship with the WWE and he is a close friend of Triple H and Vince McMahon ... The only question is why he wasn't inducted this year BUT I definitely see him going in next year!

Barry Windham - His story is similar to Arn Anderson. He had multiple reigns as a tag team champion in both the WWF and NWA/WCW. He is known as one of the best in-ring workers of his generation and spent a great amount of time wrestling in Florida. From what I know, he still holds a good relationship with the WWE so why not induct him into the class of 2012? All the elements are there for Windham as well!

Shatner - I would not have made this pick back in 2007 when Shatner was boo'ed mercifully off the stage at that year's ceremony for his induction speech for Jerry Lawler. However, he regained everybody's opinion last year when he hosted the February 1st edition of Monday Night Raw. With three great segments (Singing WWE Entrance Themes, RAW Match Negotiator, and his segment with Vince), he proved that he can be loved by the Wrestling audience. Unlike Drew Carey, he has made several appearances on WWE programming and would be a nice addition to the hall! I also believe that this would be the only time in Hall of Fame history that two people switched places in the Induction ceremony.

Trish Stratus - If they want to induct a diva every year now, how can you go with anybody but Trish Stratus after Sunny! Sure, Miss Elizabeth is still not in the Hall of Fame but that's only until 2013 hopefully! (Hint, I am predicting Macho Man for 2013). Trish was the most dominant diva in history, ruling the division from 2001 to 2006. Her inductor, Lita ... induction in 2013 as well!

These are my choices for the 2012 Hall of Fame. I'd love some comments, both positive and negative on my list!

#2 - Ten Matches Every Fan Should Have Watched - Part 2

6. The Rock vs Hulk Hogan - WrestleMania X8

Man, did this match ever prove how much the fans control wrestling! The WWE tried their hardest to make Hollywood Hulk Hogan the heel in this match but it couldn't happen. This match holds specialness for me because I was at WrestleMania X8. You hear people talk all the time about moments they'll never forget ... this was one of those times for me. My pop took me to Toronto for the event.

Here's a time line of my own Road to WrestleMania

• September 2001 - The WWF announced that WrestleMania 18 would be in Toronto at the Skydome
• November 3rd 2001 - Spent one full hour on the phone, attempting to buy tickets, only to find out that the event had been sold out! The dream was on hold
• December 2001 - WrestleZone had a headline that said "More WrestleMania tickets released". I quickly called my mom and within 20 minutes, the dream became a reality...
  I was going to WrestleMania!
• January 2002 - I believe I heard from Lee Fleming that I should read an article on TSN.ca ...
  It was the announcement that Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had signed with the World Wrestling Federation ... I would get to see Hulkamania live and in person!
• February 18th 2002 - Hulk Hogan is challenged by the Rock for a match at WrestleMania ... I was going to see history!
• March 11th 2002 - After visiting a bed-ridden Chris Harris a few days prior, I woke up in the middle of the night, vomiting as I had caught the stomach flu. I spent the day on the couch, eating Popsicles and watching RAW
• March 12th 2002 - Still sick but drove to St. John's to fly to Toronto
• March 17th 2002 - The dream becomes true ... I walked down the many stairs to the floor of Skydome. Where Joe Carter won the world series for the Bluejays. Where the Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan some 12 years before. People talk about times in their lives that felt like time stood still. I remember walking down the stairs and just looking around and realizing that ten years of watching wrestling was culminating that night. It's hard to explain what it's like to know that one of your life goals had been accomplished!

This match has become legendary for the fan reaction. Hulk was written to play the heel but the fans in the SkyDome had a different idea. We wanted Hulkamania ... one more time! The Rock, probably the biggest face in wrestling during that time, was forced to become a heel for one night to satisfy the 67 237 in attendence. This match, again, didn't do anything flashy because well, Hogan was wore out. He had knee replacements in 2001. But the psychology of the match was amazing. Everything just seemed to click and Hulk gave us one more WrestleMania moment.

7. Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart - WrestleMania 12

It was the first televised and promoted one hour match, and both men delivered a career highlight. For a fan in 1996 that I was, being 7 years old at the time, to keep my attention for 60 straight minutes was simply amazing. I sat there, watching every second of the match. This match should be shown to anybody who doubts wrestlers as athletes because there never has or will be a performance like this match again.

8. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 25

In the previous WrestleMania matches the Undertaker had ...  there has been only two men who seemed like they could beat the streak

1. Randy Orton @ 21, 
2. Batista @ 23
   
   Shawn Michaels made us believe that he could beat the Streak ... so much that the fans demanded an encore the next year. The match remains the only match ever to be repeated on back to back WrestleMania cards. This match may have been the greatest match of the 2000's ... and that is saying a great deal about this match. The match felt like a never ending roller-coaster of high spots, high energy and great psychology. These three elements was then mixed with the commentary of genius of Jim Ross and we got a match that I can only compare this match to the first Rocky movie. You weren't expecting a hit but damn, did they knock the ball out of the park.

9. Ric Flair vs Terry Funk - Clash of the Champions IX

To quote Jon Parsons, this match looked like a real fight. It was violent and brutality at it's finest. For those who trash the PG era, they should go watch this match. There was no blood. Funk or Flair didn't utter a foul word during their promos or their match. There was no massive chair shots. This match was built upon psychology. I personally think that this match is the prototype for the blowoff to a feud. Its amazing actually that while WWF was giving us Hulk-Zeus, Flair-Funk were tearing apart the NWA. They didn't do a lot of wrestling in this match but they told a story that has been unmatched, even to this day!

10. Triple H vs Cactus Jack - Royal Rumble 2000

I sat in on seminar on pro wrestling psychology held by Scott "Raven" Levy a few weeks ago which is probably why I chose most of these matches for their psychology. This match/feud is a great example of what Raven spoke about. Both Triple H and Mick Foley told a great story. The story was that Mick Foley was pushed to his mental limits and resorted to bringing his Cactus Jack persona back to fight Triple H. This match proved to be very violent and bloody but unlike ECW, it wasn't violent for the sake of being violent. The story of Cactus being sadistic and the violence he intended on administering to Triple H to become the WWF Champion was nothing short of amazing. A match that showed what two talented workers could do when given the right material to work with!

Those are my top ten matches that all fans should watch before stating that they are a Wrestling fan ... Some of you may disagree with me because I put a nice few matches on here from WrestleMania's but I leave you with a quote from Chris Jericho when interviewed for the new "True Story of WrestleMania" dvd.

"You can have a match in Peoria, Illinois in front of 4000 people and tear the house down. But the next day, it's like it never happened. You can have a match on RAW in front of 4 Million people, it lasts alittle longer but at WrestleMania ... WrestleMania is where classic matches are made"

#1 - Ten Matches Every Fan Should Have Watched - Part 1

1. Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage - WrestleMania 3
2. Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant - WrestleMania 3

You cannot call yourself a wrestling fan if you have not watched WrestleMania 3 from start to finish. It's the most historic event in wrestling history just for setting the all time North American pro wrestling attendance record that also gave us the most hyped match in history and the best worked storyline in wrestling history. As many critics have stated, Hogan - Andre sold the show but Steamboat - Savage stole it! Personally, I love both matches for very different reasons. Hogan - Andre never needed any story to build this match. The Hogan-Andre storyline just did not have the depth that Steamboat - Savage. I think Hogan - Andre would have drawn 93,173 people just on name recognition and the fan’s curiosity on if Hogan could beat the Giant. However, Steamboat-Savage feud was masterfully done, here's an outline ... 

• The throat injury storyline, beginning in November 1986 with a TV match 
• Steamboat's "rumored" retirement and vignettes with his doctors in December 
• His TV return on Saturday Night's Main Event in January during a George Steele-Savage title match
• Two months of straight build to their meeting in the Silverdome.
  
  I think Steamboat and Savage was on par in terms of selling that WrestleMania as Hogan - Andre, in my opinion.

3. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect - SummerSlam 1991

In my 20 years of watching professional wrestling, this is the match I have re-watched the most! This event is historic and important to WWF history because it was the beginning of Bret Hart's singles push in the WWF. As for the match, it was pretty basic in terms of story-telling and in-ring action. They didn't do anything too flashy yet the match was so exciting thanks to both Hennig and Hart’s storytelling ability. As I got older and read articles from this era, it was amazing to find out how injured the back of Curt Hennig was during this match. I recommend this match to anybody who wants to see wrestling at its finest!

4. Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter - WrestleMania 7

While this match may not have be on your all-time greatest matches lists, it’s because I am biased in this selection. 1991 was my first year that I saw wrestling and fell in love with the business. The story goes that I was sitting in the playpen and my aunt was flicking channels and passed the Canadian version of Superstars known as Maple Leaf Wrestling. I instantly was drawn to it, and my one true love was born, my love for wrestling, a phase my mom thought would end that is in its 20th year this year! Anyway, this match is textbook for the emotion it evokes. The fact former beloved patriot Sgt. Slaughter turned on America and sided with Iraq during Desert Storm and that the "Real American" hero Hulk Hogan was now going to take him down. You watch this match and tell me that it wasn't the most emotional you've ever seen a wrestling crowd get? It just doesn’t get any better than this match.

5. Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair - WrestleWar 1989

No decision on this list was tougher than this pick. Having to choose their best match from the 1989 series was like choosing which Metallica song to listen to from their 1991 "Black Album". 40 Minutes of the purest form of professional wrestling you will ever find. All three matches was great but this one just edges them out for me. Back and forth, Flair on top, followed by Steamboat. It was just amazing to sit down and watch that match and just be amazed. Again, like Perfect-Hart, they didn't do anything flashy, they held the fans in the palm of their hands and entertain us. Steamboat-Flair was like Spagahetti and Meatballs, just goes together so well!