#29 - Let Wrestlers Be Wrestlers

I have posted above the 2012 SummerSlam music video that the WWE put together promoting the event which I believe played mostly through social media. I remember watching this last summer and thinking to myself that the video showcased what was good about pro wrestling.

In this video, we have pro wrestlers being pro wrestlers! They are allowing their own personalities to shine (Daniel Bryan is pure gold in this video) which adds so much to their characters. Today, I feel that the creative team has too much control over the product. Why does the creative team have to write promos? Why do the talent be given the ability to add dimensions to their own characters? If a person uses their own ideas, they are much more committed to the task. Let's start letting pro wrestlers be pro wrestlers!

It worked for Dolph Ziggler who wouldn't be near the level he is now without appearing on Zack Ryder's Z True Long Island Story. Without Ryder, Ziggler would be still portrayed as the "new Mr. Perfect" when now we are now comparing his rise to Shawn Michaels

Daniel Bryan was floundering in the mid card until turning heel in early 2012 and being allowed to let his personality to show through the Yes/No chants and Dr. Shelby segments with Kane. The wrestler once known as the American Dragon and for "kicking in fucking heads" is now wanting to be called the Dazzler? Bryan showed that you can be a great wrestler while also entertaining which is something we might not have seen since Ric Flair and his outlandish personality of the '80s

The Ringmaster floundered until he submitted an idea to creative for a cold-hearted ruthless man who showed no emotion. Eventually, we were given Stone Cold Steve Austin who was his personality exaggerated. Steve Austin actually drinks beer, drives a pickup truck, enjoys using colorful language and is a redneck from Texas.

These three examples show that wrestlers being themselves have worked in the past and present so why not allow other wrestlers this chance? Mick Foley has stated that he felt the Attitude Era (arguably the most profitable era in pro wrestling history) started when Vince McMahon gave a speech about wrestlers having to inject more of themselves into their characters. Actually, Foley really can attribute the success of his WWE career largely to his series of interviews with Jim Ross back in June 1997 where he interwove his personal history (Dude Love & his desire for attention as a teenager) into how the Mankind character came to be in his head.

In closing, I have given four good examples of where wrestlers were allowed to be themselves and were successful. The music video included with this post proves that there is a wealth of charisma and untapped comedy in the WWE locker room just looking for the opportunity to be showcased weekly. Why not lighten the workload of the creative team and allow them to focus strictly on story line progression! Let's start seeing wrestlers make the best of their chance and their characters! Lets start letting wrestlers be wrestlers and watch the product we receive every week! I thank you very much for reading!

#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! 

#21 - 5 Things I'd Like To See Done After Capitol Punishment!

This has nothing that will benefit this blog but I am about to shamelessly plug a WWE DVD. I currently watching the WWE's newest release, the Very Best of WCW Nitro. While I do not have it finished in full, it does seem like a good release. I am currently streaming it before purchasing the DVD and so far, I am happy with the product WWE has produced and would recommend it to others who are fans of this era in professional wrestling!


Now, today's topic for the blog would be 5 things I would like to see the WWE do after this Sunday's Capitol Punishment pay per view!

1. Have the Punk-Mysterio determine the No.1 Contender to the WWE Championship

I really can't complain that these two are having another pay per view match because the quality of matches they have had in the last two years have been outstanding. To my knowledge, this is their fifth singles match on PPV since Armageddon 2008. I think if this match was to determine the No.1 Contender would add to this match. It would make Punk and Mysterio both seem to have a higher position on the card just by their association with the WWE Championship picture as currently the Miz is the only other star that feels like they are in the main event level. R-Truth may be on the rise but this is his first main event and the main event scene needs guys who are credible to take the title at any moment as that is where Wrestling gets its suspense from. This would also allow them to write Punk off in July, which seems like their current plan, at the Money in the Bank PPV in Chicago!

2. Making AJ and Kelly Kelly the faces of the Diva Division!

While Kelly Kelly has been slated to be the face of the division currently, I think that Kelly Kelly doesn't have the skill to lead a division like Trish Stratus did in the early 2000's! I think AJ could be the perfect supplement to Kelly's character and vice versa. Both girls are presented in similar roles right now ... they have cute personalities yet exciting to watch in the ring. As a red-blooded man's man, I will also point out how are incredibly sexy but not in a slutty way! which worked perfect in the new PG era of the WWE. In retrospective, the WWE's Diva division was at it's finest when they had two Diva Stars ... what were their names again? OH Trish Stratus and Lita! I think this would benefit the division right now, having them built to defeat the Bella Twins later this year, only to have a heel Kharma return next year to destroy both AJ and Kelly Kelly! The storylines are simple yet play themselves out!

3. Zack Ryder 

I mentioned to a friend the other day that I believe that the Ryder Revolution is noticed by WWE Creative and they are building towards his ultimate push! How can they not notice it? They booked him on RAW every week other than the week they are in his hometown. Why? It's not because they want him to remain a heel because they paired him with John Cena in all his previous RAW segments. It's not because he's not a good worker as he had a great match with Kofi two weeks ago on RAW. I feel the WWE is just letting the popularity rise and rise, with his "broskis" (which I am a big part of) just loving him more for being the underdog. It's time to let the Ryder Revolution begin ... I don't want to see him go right into the main event or even the U.S. title scene. He doesn't need a title run currently, he just needs the chance to show his personality to the audience without any restrictions and let them decide if Zack Ryder is "the next big thing" in WWE

4. A Summer of Legends 

Wrestling fans love legends! It's a proven fact that we love seeing the stars of yesteryear! We jumped in joy when Michael Hayes came out on SuperStars as Tyson Kidd's manager. We never missed a minute of last Monday's Piper's Pit. What I propose is that the WWE should book legends on the show every week just for the surprise factor, making RAW seem less formulaic. Why not have Superfly show up with Tamina every now again? Why not have Sunny show up one week to referee a Diva's match? The possibilities are endless and will all be received  positively. It would be loved by superstars who get to see their childhood favorites and the legends will love being loved so much. I know that some may feel this takes away from the return of Old School Raw coming up in the fall but I don't think it will, I think it will only "wet the appetite" of the audience for that show.


I am promoting WrestleMania here only because it has the Hall of Fame ceremony from this year, where Sunny became the youngest inductee to the Hall.

5. The Return of Managers

We are in the process of seeing this come about right now, with Tyson Kidd having a different manager every week on SuperStars. I would like to see this emphasis start after this Sunday, perhaps even on Sunday with Ezekiel Jackson debuting a new mouthpiece when he defeats Wade Barrett. Some guys need managers, that has always been proven in pro wrestling. Some of the greatest talents in wrestling had managers. It just adds so much to their characters and their matches. This is one idea I am really excited about!

Conclusion

I am really excited for the WWE's summer programming as it is always filled with excitement leading up until SummerSlam in August. We are pretty much guaranteed one RAW appearance of the Rock to help further the main event of WrestleMania 28. We are almost guaranteed to see a star debut or return to the company and we are guaranteed a great PPV at Money in the Bank. I love the summertime in WWE and hope that these ideas I have posted here will become real on WWE programming

#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 

#15 - Looking at this Sunday's Extreme Rules

This Sunday is a reason why the WWE should really take more time in developing their PPV Schedule. As most readers are aware, this weekend also marks the UFC's biggest event ever, coming from the Skydome in Toronto. The UFC has also stacked the card with big time fights and reasons for buy the pay per view to watch both main events. GSP will face off with Jake Shields in a title bout which Dana White has stated "could be the last step to the dream GSP - Anderson Silva fight". The event will also host the final MMA fight of Randy Couture which is a big deal regardless how many times Couture has retired and returned to dominate.

Terry Funk > Randy Couture

However, this is not a mixed martial arts blog ... I am all about professional wrestling so let's look at the card for this Sunday's Extreme Rules

No Disqualification, No Count-Out, Loser Leaves SmackDown! Match:
Layla vs. Michelle McCool

This match won't be on par with Jack Brisco and Dory Funk Jr. back in 1976 but will serve a purpose. The feud has been building for a couple of months so that is nice. The fact they are blowing this off with one weeks notice is bad but manageable if it serves this purpose. I think whoever loses this match is going to get an extended hiatus from the WWE because if they wanted to move one of them, they would have drafted them to RAW. This theory leads me to believe that Michelle McCool is receiving time off. The Undertaker is home nursing injuries and they haven't really had time off together since their marriage last June so perhaps this is time for the happy power couple to have their honeymoon. Who knows, but this theory does led me to believe that Layla will be put over in this match

Winner: Layla



Falls Count Anywhere Match:
Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio

Back when discussing WrestleMania with some friends, we were all under the belief that Mysterio would make Rhodes the star of their Mania match but still win! This did not happen and we were surprised to see Rhodes win on the grandest stage of them all! The same can't be said about their rematch this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Mysterio will play the babyface that gets destroyed for most of the match and comes out on top, thus sending him to Monday Night RAW with momentum. Cody Rhodes will find a new feud on Smackdown with his career looking brighter than ever! Currently, depending on a Christian title win, I would pay to see a Rhodes - Christian World Title Feud!
Winner: Rey Mysterio

Michael Cole & Jack Swagger vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler & Jim Ross

One of the more intriguing matches on the card because the feud has nowhere left to go! It will kill itself if they continue the feud. This match has to be the blowoff which means the faces are getting this "come-uppance". It will be interesting to see how they save Swagger's credibility while having JR and King get over on Cole. The future of the announce tables is causing the intrigue of this match ... Are we seeing the return of JR to full time announcing? Has the WWE realized the audience is not enjoying the product and need something to bring us back? I think so

Last Man Standing Match:
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

Personally, I've talked with friends that think Punk will lose this match but I am feeling the other way around! Last Man Standing/Death Match is a match that can easily allow interference costing a face the win! I predict Nexus or a SD heel to cost Orton this match and Punk will receive the big W!!! Let's just hope he gets booked the way he likes in the near future! Otherwise, we may be losing the greatest talker WWE has on their roster currently
Winner: CM Punk

Ladder Match for the vacated World Heavyweight Championship:
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian

Where the WWE is going here is a mystery! I have two theories ...

1. Alberto Del Rio wins, bringing the World Heavyweight Championship to RAW and leading to a World Title Unification match at SummerSlam

2. Christian wins his first title, has an emotional moment with Edge and we see both World Titles continue on different brands

While a unification would be nice, I can't see it happening at SummerSlam ... seems too much like a WrestleMania worthy historical event so I am predicting a Christian win!

Winner: Christian

Triple Threat Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship:
The Miz © vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison

I am curious about this match because of how close Over The Limit is ... meaning that they are not likely to build a new feud in three weeks ... Which leaves me to wonder if they will put the title back on Cena or let Miz carry it a couple more weeks? Miz has had a pretty long title reign, when you analyze it! He won it the night after Survivor Series and has held it since. How long has it been since a Champion have retained it at THREE Major PPVS (I am counting Survivor Series, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania). I do predict Cena to take the title this month and Miz getting his title shot at Over the Limit
Winner: John Cena

Closing Remarks

If you are looking for a different card than you paid for 29 days ago, you should not buy Extreme Rules! If you are looking for a PPV which may beat Mania in terms of quality, buy this event! Each match will receive more time than they did at Mania, thus making these matches shine through. I am watching tomorrow night's UFC either live or on Sunday before Extreme Rules with friends and some fast food ... I encourage you all to enjoy these events as we are looking for a great weekend in PPV sports!

#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
   

#11 - An Old School Approach That Can Help WWE Home Video

It's an old school idea that can be brought into the current product and can make money for the WWE. Most of us grew up on Coliseum Video! Going to the local video store and renting these tapes were an exciting time for us in years past. Coliseum Video, in addition to the PPV events and Profile VHS, would release collections of random matches and segments under a lame title. For example, "Crunch Classics", "Mega Matches" and "Rampage '91" were all releases from Coliseum Video in 1991-1992. These VHS offered comedy segments and never before seen matches! I own a good collection of these tapes and now can boast owning the first match between Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels (from the VHS called Invasion 1992).

I would like to see these style of tapes return to the WWE and am going to list a sample card of matches as well as benefits of this release

There are NO CONS to this method, in my opinion, only Pros which I will outline in my ideas

• It gives Matt Striker something to do in the company! He can be the host of this collection!
• There is no added budget if they shoot these matches at RAW / Smack Down tapings! They can take place in place of dark matches
• Gives the WWE the chance to release comedy segments that would bomb on RAW to the audience and test their reception to these segments
• Commentary Dream Teams! At most, taping commentary for these matches would last two days at maximum! Would you buy a DVD knowing that you are going to hear Joey Styles return to commentary?How about Good Ol' JR? How about the pair of JR-Styles? JR-Striker? Striker-Styles? Hell, Lawler and JR could reunite for this collection! The best part ... It would only cost WWE two days work for this team!
• THE MATCHES WOULD NOT REQUIRE A STORYLINE!!! So there would be no extra work for the creative staff
• Because of no added budget for this taping, the DVD sales are PURE PROFIT!
• Guys such as Rick Rude who may not require a full DVD release can get a portion of this DVD by having a Legends portion of the disc!

And now, my card for the first release of this series

1. Daniel Bryan vs Evan Borne
2. John Morrison vs Sheamus
3. Gabriel and Slater vs Kozlov and Santino
4. Eve vs Michelle McCool
5. Jack Swagger vs Kofi Kingston
6. Edge and Christian vs Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson
7. Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio
8. John Cena vs the Miz
   
   * Sure we have seen some of these matches countless times over the last few months but I believe we would still pay for NEVER BEFORE SEEN matches between these individuals where more time can be allotted to their matches thanks to this taping schedule!
   
   * If you tape two matches per taping, you will have them taped within a month! Which means these releases can be on shelves within TWO months! Quick, Profitable and Efficient!
   
   What do you readers think of that?
   
   I would also like to take this time to thank everybody for visiting this blog! When I started a month ago, I intended on this blog being somewhere my friends can come and read a detailed idea of mine about professional wrestling and to have International Visitors is amazing! I hope you enjoy the past blogs and in the future! I look forward to bringing you more "From the Gorilla Position"
   
   .... JOHNNY ACE, WHERE'S MY JOB?

#9 - A New WrestleMania Streak?

Steering away from the usual opinion blog, I'd like some comments from you, the readers!

Jesse Duggan, a buddy of mine, argues that the Miz is undefeated at WrestleMania's thanks to ...

1. His successful tag title defense last year with the Big Show against John Morrison and R-Truth
2. His successful WWE championship defense this year against John Cena

However, I argue that because he lost in the pre-show tag team titles unification match against the Colons at WrestleMania 25, he is 2-1

How do you guys see it? Has the Miz begun a new WrestleMania streak?

#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!

#7 - Why Dusty's Commentary Beats Booker T's

After discussing with Jon Parsons about the quality of Booker T's commentary skills, he argued that Booker can be compared to Dusty Rhodes in WCW ... well, this video proves why Dusty > Booker

#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"