It was Matt Hardy, they had Gangrel do a segment with the Rock. He froze up and blew it. Listening to his shoot he has serious problems with self confidence and it affected his ring work.

It's too bad, but it was stupid on their part, Gangrel was a great character and a solid enough worker. Have Luna cut the promos for him, and that's it. He didn't need to talk. That's why managers were needed, to back up workers who couldn't cut promo, but they were in this "everyone has to cut promos" era which sucked. From the interviews I've heard from him, Dave Heath was a shy, humble guy who wasn't particulary self confident. Add to the fact that Luna got in trouble with Sable at the same time, and Gangrel was doomed. To me he was much better in the ring than Edge, and had a much better character too. I was very disapointed about the way things turned out for this guy, he deserved better.

And I can't forget the story of Luna coming back to the dressing room after making useless Sable look like a million dollar and being ignored by the entire locker room while Sable got all the praise, and feeling like shit and wanting to cry. She mentionned one guy who came to her and put her over big, but I forgot who it was. Luna was another sensitive hard working girl who deserved way better than she got.

Shit, Luna & Heath were good people, I guess that's why they got fucked.

 

Owen Hart

 

You're right. Thanks ! It says a lot I think.

FWIW, Raven also said multiple times that Luna was a sweetheart of a girl.

On the eve of UFC on FOX 2, Anonymous launches #opUFC full-scale attack against Zuffa

Does Dana just not get that this isn't the group you want to get pissed off?

 

John

Maybe it's different when you're a kid; children can often be some bloodthirsty little sociopathic bastards. But first watching wrestling as a grown adult, the one thing which annoyed me the most was how ridiculously mean everyone was. (Yes, this was in 1999, whatta shock.) It's not just that the heroes were lousy role models, it was how they literally couldn't even walk into the same room with another person and not instantly get into a fight. If two guys happened to bump into each other in the hallway, it immediately turned into a die-you-dirty-motherfucker-die grudge feud. And I've never enjoyed babyfaces who act like egotistical pricks who are above the rules. When Rock is humiliating backstage announcers or Austin is Stunning helpless women, I absolutely don't understand the appeal.

There were a lot of people put off by the meanness of the top faces in that Austin/Rock period so it wasn't just you.

 

Of course for every one of those that walked away it seemed like 5 new fans came in who now talk about it like it was a golden age, even though a lot of it was before The Rock actually got good and Austin was at probably his all time low as a worker, but that's an entirely separate issue.

I can't even fathom the idea that 1999 would be the golden age of anything. WWF was the shit in 99. The nadir of Russoism. It's the year that made me quit.

Maybe it's different when you're a kid; children can often be some bloodthirsty little sociopathic bastards. But first watching wrestling as a grown adult, the one thing which annoyed me the most was how ridiculously mean everyone was. (Yes, this was in 1999, whatta shock.) It's not just that the heroes were lousy role models, it was how they literally couldn't even walk into the same room with another person and not instantly get into a fight. If two guys happened to bump into each other in the hallway, it immediately turned into a die-you-dirty-motherfucker-die grudge feud. And I've never enjoyed babyfaces who act like egotistical pricks who are above the rules. When Rock is humiliating backstage announcers or Austin is Stunning helpless women, I absolutely don't understand the appeal.

I thought I was the only who thought like this. I've had stupid feelings towards heels being cheered too which can distract from a match recently too. This doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes I look at specific crowd members and wonder what goes through their head that would make them cheer Jim Cornette uing his tennis racquet or something.

I'd rather cheer for a heel being a heel than a face being a heel.

I remember siding with Vince for a long time in the Austin/McMahon feud. My thought was that Vince paid him and he should do what Vince says, and also that he started the problems with Vince by attacking him without provocation. And when they'd do an angle where Vince would fire him or something, he always told him ahead of time he'd fire him if he did something specific, then Austin would do exactly that. Then, they would act like somehow Vince did something wrong.

Just seen this watching Smackdown

 

PWInsider.com is reporting that Mark Henry is believed to have suffered a hyperextended knee at the Smackdown taping on Tuesday in Tucson. The injury reportedly occurred when Henry was throwing a punch and his knee moved forward before he planted his foot. This forced the crew to call an audible for the finish of Smackdown tonight involving Daniel Bryan and Big Show. Despite this injury and working through a recent groin injury, Henry is expected to wrestle at Sunday's Royal Rumble PPV.

Poor Mark.

On the eve of UFC on FOX 2, Anonymous launches #opUFC full-scale attack against Zuffa

Does Dana just not get that this isn't the group you want to get pissed off?

Um, it certainly damn well looks like it: Dana White uses 9/11 analogy for Anonymous UFC site hack, says they’ll get “Bin Laden’d”

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-...041716412_n.jpg

This made me laugh too much. I hope it's real.

I thought I was the only who thought like this. I've had stupid feelings towards heels being cheered too which can distract from a match recently too. This doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes I look at specific crowd members and wonder what goes through their head that would make them cheer Jim Cornette uing his tennis racquet or something.

I became a wrestling fan at 20. It was by watching Flair and Cornette, enjoying their rap, and enjoying them poking at the babyfaces. Why wouldn't I root for Corney and the MX against those idiots that R'n'R Express? Exactly what appeal would the R'n'R have for a 20 year old stoner into some garbage entertainment? Those guys played to the 11 year girls out there.

 

John

I've always had a sneaking soft spot for the bad guys.

 

Back in the days of like grade 3 when everyone is doing The Royal Rumble doing recess, kids would fight over being Hogan and I'd just call dibs on being The Million Dollar Man.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-...041716412_n.jpg

This made me laugh too much. I hope it's real.

Holy Shit, that is fantastic.....

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-...041716412_n.jpg

This made me laugh too much. I hope it's real.

Heh

I know the answer is because money talks but I still don't get how so many ppl in wrestling still associate with, work for and work with Rob Feinstein. Like for sure if anyone was going to get black balled from the industry I thought it would be him

I thought I was the only who thought like this. I've had stupid feelings towards heels being cheered too which can distract from a match recently too. This doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes I look at specific crowd members and wonder what goes through their head that would make them cheer Jim Cornette uing his tennis racquet or something.

I became a wrestling fan at 20. It was by watching Flair and Cornette, enjoying their rap, and enjoying them poking at the babyfaces. Why wouldn't I root for Corney and the MX against those idiots that R'n'R Express? Exactly what appeal would the R'n'R have for a 20 year old stoner into some garbage entertainment? Those guys played to the 11 year girls out there.

 

John

 

Heck, I remember thinking that Bob Backlund was a whiny crybaby and laughed my ass off when Albano and Muraco would make fun of him. And I was 14 at the time. Now, at the same time I would cheer for Snuka against Muraco because Snuka was cool.

 

And when you were 20 John, I was a 16 year old stoner and felt the same way regarding Flair and Cornette.

 

It just seems as if there's a lot of "super sensitive" folks out there who seem to want all their good guys to be, I don't know, Christ? Howdy Doody Backlund? The current worst was the "Poor Johnny Ace, that mean CM Punk is being a BULLY" meme over at DVDVR last week.

I thought I was the only who thought like this. I've had stupid feelings towards heels being cheered too which can distract from a match recently too. This doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes I look at specific crowd members and wonder what goes through their head that would make them cheer Jim Cornette uing his tennis racquet or something.

I became a wrestling fan at 20. It was by watching Flair and Cornette, enjoying their rap, and enjoying them poking at the babyfaces. Why wouldn't I root for Corney and the MX against those idiots that R'n'R Express? Exactly what appeal would the R'n'R have for a 20 year old stoner into some garbage entertainment? Those guys played to the 11 year girls out there.

 

John

 

I wasn't really trying to wonder why people think that way, I was trying to wonder why I care that people think that way. Like, I'd watch them and go "you should be booing, arseholes," when realistically I'm gunning for the heels as well. I'm not sure why heels getting a lot of positive reaction bothers me so much (not *that* much, but two years ago it didn't bother me at all). Shit, I was at house show at 14 years old and was the only kid there cheering any heel. Pretty sure Edge even looked at me funny when I asked for a high-five. Then he ran around the arena calling everyone a wanker because it's Australia an he didn't know what it meant.

 

I watched Rey v Guerrero at GAB 2005 and after everything Eddie did to Dominic he still got guys chanting his name. And for whatever shitty reason that got under my skin a little. They could have been "smart~" fans that know about "a work" and "kayfabe" and all that, but then I literally thought "what if they aren't and are in fact dickheads who'd cheer a child's torment?"

 

No idea where I'm going with this but I think the general idea is that I over-think crowd reactions and shouldn't give a shit overall. I'd obv. prefer it either way when a heel gets heat and a face gets pop, though.

 

When you hate typical mainstream stuff but want everyone else to like it, usually we call that a "hipster". But yeah, I kinda understand what you mean. Whenever I attended a wrestling show, I never participated in any kind of crowd reaction. I just sat there and silently stared at the ring. Because, hey, that's what ya do when you have Aspergers. Have me as an official participant in the show, and I'm willing to do almost any stupid degrading bullshit in front of a large crowd of people; but as a guy who paid to get in, 1.I'm shy, and 2.I want them to entertain me and I never felt any joy at screaming or waving signs around or anything like that. But of course, the atmosphere would be completely fucking ruined if everyone acted like me.

I've only been to one live show ever and like I said that was at 14 y.o. I'd probably be silent during the shows noawdays as well. Hell I only remember making noise back at that show because I was on the entrance way seating and got some high-fives from wrestlers coming to the ring.

Speaking of wrestlers and their lady friends, Bryan postulated that something must have went down with Maryse to make WWE knock Miz down from Mania main eventer (I know he wasn't the focus, but still) all the way to lower midcard joke in about 6 months. He made it clear he wasn't trying to imply he knew any INSIDER NEWZ, but if you think about it, she left kind of suddenly and he's never been pushed as anything close to something that should be taken seriously since. WWE has a track record of getting upset when women decide to go out on their own, so it wouldn't be completely out of left field to suggest they'd try to get back at her by burying her boyfriend. Hell, I can't think of anyone who fell so far in a short period of time that wasn't due to their own direct fuckup.

I wonder if it has something to do with Miz doing the "NO H8" picture with Maryse a couple months back? Vince being a hardcore republican can't like that.

I'm not sure I buy that Miz is a "joke" right now. He did get to headline Survivor Series against Rock and Cena, and then headlined the next PPV against Punk and Del Rio. Plus, getting #1 in the Rumble, to me, sounds like they trust him to be a guy who can give them 20-30 good minutes in the Rumble match and keep things interesting. I don't see much from the booking that suggests they're totally down on Miz, though they might not be as high on him a year ago.

I wonder if it has something to do with Miz doing the "NO H8" picture with Maryse a couple months back? Vince being a hardcore republican can't like that.

I don't think so. Vince has never struck me as a member of the family values wing of the GOP, and it's something he can point to the next time GLAAD gets on his case.

 

I'd say he's just at that heel Punk/Jericho level where they figure he's good enough on the mic to keep his heat even if they job him out constantly.

It's not just that they job him out, but they seem to be going great lengths to make his character look as lame and unbelievable as possible. The way he's being booked has the distinct flavor of someone they've soured on.

I'm not sure I buy that Miz is a "joke" right now. He did get to headline Survivor Series against Rock and Cena, and then headlined the next PPV against Punk and Del Rio. Plus, getting #1 in the Rumble, to me, sounds like they trust him to be a guy who can give them 20-30 good minutes in the Rumble match and keep things interesting. I don't see much from the booking that suggests they're totally down on Miz, though they might not be as high on him a year ago.

Exactly. He's a top level bad guy who can lose a lot and never lose his heat, and has a protected finisher. As soon as they want him winning a lot, he will, and no one will question it. And hopefully he starts winning a lot based on pure cheating and possibly a valet or manager. Miz shouldn't be winning matches totally clean ever unless it's versus low card guys, like Trent Baretta. He should hang tough, get beat up, cheat, get beat up, cheat, get beat up, and have someone help him cheat, hit his finisher and win.

Fans in India fleeing in terror from Scott Steiner:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89FHgivPGd0

 

From what I've seen and read, this Ring Ka King looks pretty good so far.