Evan Bourne can be a huge star if he stays healthy and they book his right. He is the closest thing to peak Rey Mysterio that they have, someone who plays a brilliantly sympathetic underdog face at the same time as being a human highlight real in terms of amazing offence. Perhaps Jeff Hardy is more of an apt comparison, although Evan is way smoother and cleaner than Jeff ever was, especially with his bumping. You just worry he is a bit too old now to carry off the good looking white meat babyface thing, especially with all the injuries. Rey worked through it by being under a mask and changing his style, so he never looked as old as he was.

 

A competitive squash against Lesnar would be incredible.

He wasn't bad, far from the worst I.C. champ ever.

 

Excluding the meaningless one-off short reigns of:

 

The Mountie

Dean Douglas

 

There isn't really anybody else that I can think of that sucked more. Heck, even Albert, Ahmed Johnson and Billy Gunn had passable reigns.

 

Zeke was one of those guys that triggered Vince's rampant muscle worship and the quest to get him over as a star. Most typically, it failed, because Zeke was passable in ring and had no character or charisma going for him outside of being protected within a stable in the enforcer role (much like Mason Ryan before him).

 

Also RE Evan Bourne: He's still recovering from a pretty complex foot injury. WWE has had some serious backlash in the past when they've released employees who are on the shelf. Even still, Bourne has something, he might even be a future Sin Cara portrayer if they intend to continue the character. Hunico is pretty old after all.

Bourne wrestled Sami Zayn on NXT almost a year ago, I think he's been cleared medically for some time.

I don't know if Bourne can still go like he used to after all his injury problems, but he's WAY more valuable to Justin Gabriel or Tyson Kidd. Neither of those guys have the in-ring charisma he has, he always gets over while Kidd & Gabriel never have.

I was watching a Bret match from his first intercontinental title run, and he broke a pinfall by getting a foot on the ropes. Gorilla immediately began making excuses for him, saying he did what he had to do. Was getting to the ropes to break pins/holds strictly a heel move until recently?

It could be seen that way in certain contexts. It was definitely a heel move in the UK--blue-eyes would always want to wrestle their way out of a hold, villains went to the ropes. Of course, in Japan, crawling to the ropes invariably drew applause, because fighting spirit.

 

Going for the ropes in the territory days was sort of a traveling-champion type heel tactic, or a working-heel-in-an-all-babyface-match tactic. Not overt, but a sign that the local babyface had the champ on the run.

In the UK, Walton always sold being too close to the ropes as a mistake by the wrestler executing the hold.

That makes sense as a subtle heel move. Thanks!

Random thought: It's utterly shocking Vince Russo never came up with a gimmick called Triple K. You'd expect something like that from wrestling's most reviled glue-sniffer.

Using rope breaks has been a heel move for most of WWE's history. When was the last time you saw John Cena reach for the ropes rather than simply power out of a submission? I'd say the way Bret did it was more of an anomaly than the beginning of a new tradition.

Nick Bockwinkel vs. Dory Funk Jr. from Slamboree '93 is a darn good match that should have gotten more love, Kiniski stupidity aside.

Yeah, I was surprised not to see it on the Yearbook. Nick and Verne refusing to shake Gene's hand was cool too.

We had to make cuts.

I don't know if either of them respond it on interviews but did Randy Savage or DDP have plans B, C, etc (like if the crowd don't follow the story) ?

So Nancy Grace just inferred that Owen Hart died of drug abuse on her show tonight. Can his widow sue for libel?

Everyone who was ever a wrestler or referee who has died, died from drugs and steroids on Nancy Grace. This includes Andre, Joey Marella, and Jerry Blackwell.

That woman is what I like to describe as a word I'd never use in front of my mother.

So Nancy Grace just inferred that Owen Hart died of drug abuse on her show tonight. Can his widow sue for libel?

 

SMH

 

She might be the worst, most sensationalistic, most shameless talking head on tv....which is saying a lot

So Nancy Grace just inferred that Owen Hart died of drug abuse on her show tonight. Can his widow sue for libel?

Libel is written, you're thinking of slander, though some places merge them into "defamation" at this point. And maybe, but it depends on the jurisdiction. Some places don't let you sue if the defamed is dead. Some have statutes specifically allowing it.

Under British law at least, libel is anything that can in a permanent record, so covers TV broadcasts as well as writing. Slander is purely saying something to a third part in person. That said, from a legal perspective both are treated the same, it's just that libel is easier to prove.

This has to end. I passed the bar many years ago. No reminders.

I posted about the Nancy Grace stuff in the Warrior thread, didn't know there was talk here. Here's the segment:

 

 

I still don't see anything where the "Wrestlers Who Died Young" scroll meant that each person died of drugs. And she doesn't say anything like that, "Take a look at wrestlers who died young", she says before the first scroll before asking a doctor a Q. I think someone who watched the video tried to put two and two together with the steroid talk and wrongfully assumed that Nancy and the show's list were those they thought died from drugs. And the news spreads.

 

And the list probably hasn't been updated since their Benoit coverage. You don't have Umaga, Kanyon, Lance Cade or Test (all 40 and under deaths) on there.

 

I'm not a fan of her show, and haven't watched it since the Benoit murder-suicide. I wonder if any who tweeted, like Foley or Cornette, even watched the clip.

Under British law at least, libel is anything that can in a permanent record, so covers TV broadcasts as well as writing. Slander is purely saying something to a third part in person. That said, from a legal perspective both are treated the same, it's just that libel is easier to prove.

American law differs by state (hello, federalism), but the traditional way is libel is written, slander is spoken, defamation covers both.

 

This has to end. I passed the bar many years ago. No reminders.

I've got three months to go til that. Lucky you.

 

Haven't watched the Nancy Grace video. Not giving that troll any sort of attention.

Ouch. Enjoy the next month. Shut it all down after that.

Thanks. I've got a 4 day trip in June to see my sister who I haven't seen in about a year (and I'll bring my materials with me), but otherwise, absolute lock down starting May 10th. So exactly one month.

 

Back to questions not worthy of a full thread. I asked this early but didn't see an answer: does anyone know the origin of US indy workers yelling their opponents them while they charge at them in the corner? I know I've heard it on WWE/NXT a few times but every indy show I go to has it in spades.