#28 - The Undertaker @ WM29

I am going to take the current state of WWE story lines and progress them in my own vision, starting with this past Monday's RAW. As we've all heard, the Undertaker's status for this year's WrestleMania is uncertain. The rumor is that he is dealing with injuries that would be better off resting this year. However, I feel we can allow Undertaker to rest but still keep him in a major storyline this year at WrestleMania! Here is my idea of how the Undertaker can be a major part of WrestleMania with minimal in-ring action! ...

Starting at ...
Last Monday - Paul Heyman's Performance Evaluation

• Brock Lesnar attacking Vince McMahon as a favor to his friend/business partner Paul Heyman who was about to be fired by McMahon
• Vince suffers a broken left hip as reported on WWE.com 

My idea is for this storyline to culminate at WrestleMania with ... 

CM Punk and Brock Lesnar vs Triple H and the Undertaker!

Outline:

February 4th

Brock cuts a promo describing himself as the most destructive force in WWE after eliminating Triple H and Mr. McMahon, he makes reference to the ring being his world (a subtle reference to the Undertaker)

Vickie Guerrero comes to the ring and states that she has been asked by WWE Board of Directors to negotiate Brock's return to WWE after quitting last summer. Heyman states that they return to the back for the negotiation. As the show is closing, Heyman returns to the stage to announce that Brock has agreed to a new iron-clad two year deal with WWE! Stephanie McMahon's music hits as she comes out to meet Heyman face to face, stating that she was the one who asked Vickie to sign Brock back and that Triple H would be on the next RAW.

February 11th

• The show opens with Triple H shown backstage waiting for Brock Lesnar's arrival. 
• A limo arrives which Lesnar's Deathclutch license plate on it which is promptly destoryed by Triple H. 
• Paul Heyman is shown getting out of the limo on the opposite side of Triple H. 
• As Heyman is being stalked by Triple H, he is attacked from behind by CM Punk. 
• Triple H and Punk battle for a moment until Lesnar arrives in a truck and the Punk/Lesnar duo leave Triple H lying in need of medical attention. 
• Triple H is placed into an ambulance and taken from the arena
• Punk/Heyman/Lesnar come to the ring for a promo which Heyman highlights how effective these forces could be together with Punk and Lesnar throwing compliments towards each other! Heyman also illustrates how they have battled adversity from the WWE and how similar their battles with management were
• Punk wrestles main event of show with Lesnar in corner! Triple H is shown driving an ambulance back into the arena! Triple H comes from the side of the entrance and as he reaches the ramp, the Rock's music hits! Rock hits the ring to fight Punk (helping to sell their EC Title Match) and HHH battles Lesnar for the show to end

February 18th

• CM Punk, having been defeated by the Rock the night before, opens the show with another promo about not receiving the respect he deserves
• He states there's only one man who has the respect he deserves in WWE and that's the Undertaker
• Punk challenges the Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania
• Triple H cuts a promo stating that he wants Brock and Punk at WrestleMania! 
• Offers to put his role as COO on the line with Heyman receiving the job if his team wins
• He says he can get Punk what he wants and asks the Undertaker to be his tag team partner
• The show closes with the Undertaker's gong going off and the arena going black

February 25th

• The show opens with the gong, the same way RAW closed the week before
• THE RETURN OF THE UNDERTAKER
• The Undertaker cuts a promo describing his love for the WWE but his distrust for Triple H as he spent the last two WrestleMania's trying to end the streak
• Triple H comes to the ring and gives his plea to the Undertaker
• The Undertaker states he will deliberate and give Triple H his answer next week on RAW

March 4th

• The Undertaker comes to the ring and declines Triple H's offer, stating that he cannot afford to allow the Streak to be placed in the hands of the man who tried to end it on three occasions
• Shawn Michaels returns to talk to Undertaker, highlights the respect he earned with Taker after his WrestleMania bouts
• Undertaker tells Shawn he respects him but he can't risk the Streak like this
• As Undertaker gets ready to walk up the stage, Mr. McMahon's music hits
• Vince is now confined to a wheelchair thanks to the broken hip and comes to the stage
• Vince comes out and gives Undertaker a speech about how close him and Taker has been over the years! How Undertaker never left his side when everybody else did (throws a shot in at Hogan) and that he needs him one more time! To defend the honor of WWE against Heyman
• Undertaker agrees to be Triple H's partner for Vince

March 11th

• Triple H challenges CM Punk to a steel cage match on RAW on March 25th (two week buildup to that match) that if Punk wins, he'll receive the first title match after WrestleMania (presumably at Extreme Rules) 
• We have a dual contract signing setup for both the WrestleMania match and the steel cage match! 
• There is an $2 Million Dollar No Contact Clause in the contract that neither group could be physical with each other until the cage match or forfeit their cash

March 18th

• Video packages air throughout the night where the locker room are discussing how important this match will be to the landscape of the WWE

March 25th

• The Steel Cage Match
• Video packages air throughout the show highlighting both Punk's history in steel cages (defeating Ryback and ending Jeff Hardy's career) and Triple H's history (ending Mick Foley's career, defeating Austin at No Way Out 2001, defeating Legacy etc.)
• CM Punk escapes the cage as  Lesnar puts HHH in a chokehold as he's crawling out the door! 

April 1st

• Segments are filmed at WWE Headquarters where Heyman/Lesnar/Punk arrive at Titan Towers where they interrupt a board of directors meeting, which he is discussing the possibility of him becoming the COO of the WWE! 
• They find Stephanie McMahon and with Triple H viewing from the arena and destroy her office with Stephanie watching on! 
• The trio leave the office stating "Hunter, we'll see you this Sunday" 

April 7th

• The tag team match of the century!
  The Streak and COO position of WWE is at stake!
  Punk and Lesnar vs Undertaker and Triple H!
• I feel Punk should take the pin in this match via a Undertaker pinfall thus leaving room for an Punk-Undertaker and/or a Undertaker/Lesnar feud down the road with the seed being what Undertaker cost them! 
• Triple H thanks Undertaker for his help and they shake hands!

I understand my details get less detailed towards the end but I literally wrote this as I typed it! haha I hope you enjoy this blog. It's not perfectly written but this is how I would present the idea to a friend and hope you enjoy it and would love some feedback! Thank you very much! 

#19 - The Better Roster? WWF 1992 or WCW 1994

I recently wrote a blog on how I would have booked WCW's main event scene in 1994. After writing the blog, I started to re-watch several WCW events from 1994. The latest event I watched was Bash at the Beach 1994, which I had not seen in years. I watched the event and began to notice the Hall of Fame talent that participated on the show as every match seemed to have a wrestling legend battling another legend. The more I analyzed the event's roster, I thought of the WWF's roster in early 1992 which hosted every major wrestling star of the 1980's. After watching "the Bash", I started to question which roster was better? The April 1992  WWF roster or the July 1994 WCW Roster? The purpose of this blog is for you to review the points I raise about each roster and make your decision! I would love to see some comments and answer them accordingly!

Notes

- Both companies had big events during the month's I have chosen for comparison
WWF - WrestleMania VIII
WCW - Bash at the Beach 1994
- Ric Flair was the World Champion of both companies during the era's I have chosen
- There will be some overlap in roster names but there's still enough different names to warrant a comparison
- oth companies were around equal in popularity at the time
WWF - losing popularity thanks to the steroid and sexual harassment allegations
WCW - rising popularity thanks to the signing of Hulk Hogan

WWF - April of 1992

Roster included:

1. Hulk Hogan (took a leave of absence after WrestleMania VIII)
2. Ric Flair
3. Macho Man Randy Savage
4. The Undertaker
5. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
6. Roddy Piper (took a leave of absence after WrestleMania VIII)
7. Bret Hart
8. Shawn Michaels
9. Ted DiBiase
10. British Bulldog 
11. Sid Justice
12. Ultimate Warrior (returned at WrestleMania VIII)
    
    Top 3 Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Vince McMahon

WCW - July 1994

1. Hulk Hogan
2. Ric Flair
3. Dustin Rhodes
4. Steve Austin
5. Cactus Jack
6. Ricky Steamboat
7. Big Van Vader
8. Guardian Angel (Ray Traylor "The Big Bossman")
9. Sting
10. Triple H (wrestling still as Jean Paul Leveque) 
11. Arn Anderson
12. Terry Funk
    
    Top 3 Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan,  Jesse "The Body" Ventura (on the brink of leaving during this time period due to heat with Hulk Hogan)

My Opinion

Both of these rosters were filled with Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers but if I had to choose, I would go with WCW in July of 1994. I have always been a diehard WWF fan but in this case, I have to side with the Atlanta-based promotion. The roster WCW had at this time was just a better mixture of young and old.

• They had depth in the main event level (Sting, Hogan, Flair, Vader) that could have offered great matches for the coming years. 
• They also had depth in the upper mid card level (Austin, HHH, Regal, Steamboat, Jack) who were ready to step up into main event spots and become the stars they would eventually become in later years *cough* WWF *cough* 
• Two great heel commentators that added entertainment value to the product
• A better on-screen authority figure (Nick Bockwinkle > Jack Tunney)
  
  Those are my reasons for why I thought WCW had a better roster in 1994 than WWF in 1992 but I would like to know your opinion, the ones reading my blog! Feel free to start discussion on this blog and I'll try my best to quickly reply. 

#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"