The Reign if Terror: Was it really that bad?

 

Most wrestling fans recognize the term “reign of terror” as Triple He’s supposed stranglehold of the Big Gold Belt for the better part of three years from 2002-2005. The reason I didn’t say World Heavyweight Championship is because in my opinion, it makes no sense to have more than one World title in the same company: there in, the WWE Championship, with the lineage dating back to the beginning, is the one that matters most. Then again, had this belt been branded as a continuation of the now defunct WCW World Heavyweight Championship, I wouldn’t have had as much of a problem. However, that’s neither here nor there. Back to the topic at hand!

To tell this story properly, I need to add some context. In April, 2002, due to the on-going feud between co-owners of the company, Vince McMahon and Ric Flair, Linda McMahon announced the brand extension, which was the splitting of the roster. It was decided that Vince McMahon would run Monday Night Raw’s roster and Ric Flair would run Smackdown’s roster. Born out of this grand extension was a draft, in which each co-owner would choose a wrestler for their brand. While the other championships would be split evenly among the shows, it was initially decided that the WWE Champion, whomever that may be going forward, would between brands, thus resembling the way the territory system under the NWA was done.

After McMahon won back full share of the entire company from Flair, he appointed General Managers to run the brands. He chose his daughter Stephanie McMahon to run Smackdown, while in a twist no one saw coming, he appointed fierce Monday Night War rival and former head of WCW Eric Bischoff as the GM of Raw. In September, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar signed exclusively with Stephanie’s Smackdown, leaving Raw without a World Champion. Not to be outdone, Bischoff reintroduced the former WCW’s World Championship belt and presented it to Triple H, with Raw now having its own World Champion. 

Despite an early setback for The Game, in which he would lose it to comeback sensation Shawn Michaels, the belt would be back around Hunter’s waist within a month. From December, 2002 until March, 2004, with the exception of a short three month reign of Goldberg in 2003, Triple H ruled Raw as World Champion with an iron fist. Challenger after challenger stepped up and failed, some legitimately and some due to some dirty tactics of Triple H and his Evolution cohorts. Nonetheless, Triple H remained on top. 

I’m going to skip ahead to the end of this “Reign of Terror” briefly before I get into the premise of this blog. At WrestleMania XX, Chris Benoit defeated Hunter in a match with also included Shawn Michaels to become the new World Champion. After five months with the title, Benoit lost it to Randy Orton, Triple H’s Evolution stablemate and protege in August, 2004 at SummerSlam. The next night on Raw, Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista kicked Orton out of Evolution. By September, Triple H was back in the saddle as Champion. Although the title was briefly held up in the following months, it inevitably found its way back to Triple H. Finally, this “Reign of Terror” came to an end at WrestleMania 21 in April, 2005. Similar to the way things went down with Orton the year prior, Batista left the group and defeated Hunter to become the new World Champion. Now that I’ve established the timeline, it’s time to dissect this “Reign of Terror” to see if it was really as bad as many fans believe.

The beginning was great, as Triple H would have a great match with Ric Flair on Raw for the Title not long after being presented with the belt. When Shawn Michaels won the belt from Hunter at the Survivor Seroes, they were joined by Kane, Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, and Booker T where the match was contested within the confines of the very first Elimination Chamber.  Not only that, but it was Shawn’s first World Championship in over four years since his first retirement due to a severe injury, as well as taking place in the Mecca of wrestling venues, Madison Square Garden. The “Reign of Terror” was off to a great start, with much prestige attached to it. 

After Triple H won it back at the end of 2002, he went on to defend his Title at the 2003 Royal Rumble and February’s No Way Out against Scott Steiner. Right away, I can easily defend the decision to stick with Triple H as the guy. He carried Steiner during these matches and although the matches weren’t great, none of that is on Hunter, as Scott hadn’t wrestled since WCW closed its doors nearly two years before these matches. It wasn’t until WrestleMania 19 that fans started questioning things. Here’s where I would agree with the consensus. Next up to the plate was Booker T and him winning a World Championship for the sixth time would have been a great moment. To this day, I, as well as many others, believe Booker should have won the gold, especially after the somewhat questionable and controversial storytelling, implying it was about race. A feel good moment after that would have redeemed this kind of story being told but alas, it was not to be. 

Throughout most of 2003, Triple H had a mixed bag of opponents. He had programs with Rob Van Dam, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg. RVD was a quality opponent. Triple H had two programs with Kane, one of which involved the awful “Katie Vick” storyline and eventually Kane’s unmasking. The less said on that the better. He carried Nash and Goldberg to passable matches. In September, Goldberg won the Title but by December’s Armageddon, Triple H was Champion once again.  Not only that, but Evolution had all tbe gold by the end of the night, as 23-year-old Randy Orton won the Intercontinental Championship and Ric Flair teamed with Batista to win Tag Team gold. There aren’t many moments as epic as all of Evolution posing with all the gold together. 2003 was a mixed bag, with both questionable angles and classic moments alike. All in all, I think it was the right decision to keep the World Title on Triple H for most of the year.

Triple H then re-entered a feud with Shawn Michaels, leading to some incredible matches in the first two months of 2004. I already discussed Chris Benoit’s win and Orton winning the Title only to get kicked out of Evolution. Though Orton‘a reign was short and underwhelming, he was very young at the time and not quite ready for the main event. The angle leading to Batista’s departure from Evolution and finally dethroning Triple H for the Title was a masterclass. In fact, Triple H and Batista continued their rivalry after WrestleMania with a couple of epic matches. All in all, if you look back at this supposed “Reign of Terror” of Triple H holding the gold for a majority of three years, it was actually pretty good. Fans may have been annoyed at the time but looking back it doesn’t seem as bad as some made it out to be. What do you think?

Hard Times

 

 So, WrestleMania 39 has come and gone. I, like many, was disappointed that Cody Rhodes did not win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania from our Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Unlike some fans that act like petulant children when they don’t get what they want, I was just slightly bummed and not remotely angry. The feeling lasted no longer than an hour tops because I realized the big picture. It’s not over yet!

Cody Rhodes is his own man and shouldn’t always be compared to his father Dusty Rhodes, but it all makes sense. Now, any American Dream fan worth their salt knows about Dusty’s famous “hard times” promo. Some can even recite it word for word. Now it’s all clicking in my head. Cody needs to go through some hard times himself. This could lead to Cody coming out better on the other side for having gone through what’s to come, and will finally be the one to dethrone Roman Reigns, and do it at WrestleMania 40 next year.

When some friends and colleagues brought this up not long after WrestleMania ended, I thought that he did go through hard times, what with his gruesome injury not long after his return and subsequently nine months on the shelf. It was elaborated to me further that although these events were definitely difficult, it just wasn’t enough to drive the storyline along to the ultimate climax that awaits us wrestling fans. He made a huge return after being gone for several years, making a much bigger name for himself, along with being one of the cofounders of AEW. He returned at last year’s WrestleMania and defeated Seth Rollins, continuing a bitter feud with him, along with their last encounter inside Hell In a Cell during which his injury was fully on display. He came back again to win the Royal Rumble at the cushy number 30 spot to secure his ticket to the main event at WrestleMania. To some, this doesn’t sound like he’s been through enough adversity. It took me a minute but now I understand.

Now that this story has presented itself, I am fully on board. I am ready for him to go through hard times. One such thing is Brock Lesnar, who turned on Cody the night after WrestleMania and viciously attacked the American Nightmare. This will come to a head in their upcoming match at Backlash in a few weeks. What a great place to start in a journey of hard times then to go through the Beast Incarnate himself! The question is, who wins? Some say Cody needs the win but at the same time, doesn’t that go against the entire concept of hard times? I have a compromise of sorts. When Brock Lesnar returned after an eight year absence to confront John Cena and fought him at that year’s Backlash only to lose, fans were infuriated! However, people need to remember the circumstance. Cena may have been the technical victor, but did he look like one after Brock annihilated him for most of the match? Cena could barely stand. Cena won the battle but Brock clearly won the war. I suggest that same scenario with Cody. Cody can squeak out a win, but would not look like or even feel like the winner after the match. However, this also depends on Brock’s schedule and we could see Cody flat out lose, only to eventually defeat Brock at another event, bringing to a conclusion one of several “hard times” to come. Even if it’s a one-off and Cody loses, again it’s part of the overall story arch. 

One thing keeps bugging me, though. Maybe it’s paranoia or maybe I’ve seen fans do this too many times, but some fans do tend to turn on the very person they were supporting on a dime. Fans are quite fickle. I bring this up because to get back to the main event of WrestleMania next year, he’d likely have to win the Royal Rumble again. He’s not going to be number 30 again and number one is too predictable. Therein lies the problem! Would fans like this or hate it? Some claim they hate things being too predictable but sometimes it’s okay. Sometimes it makes sense. Like the old line in the Full House theme says, “whatever happened to predictability?” 

I asked some friends about this, worrying about the fans turning on Cody. They assured me and based on seeing the crowds so far, that this won’t necessarily happen and people will still support him. That being said, there are other ways to get to WrestleMania’s main event. Also, at this point, especially if Cody reaches that brass ring again, who in their right mind thinks Roman Reigns won’t still be Champion by then? Back to the point here, there are other ways. There is Money In the Bank, but that also does the opposite of hard times. They could go the Daniel Bryan route and insert him in, but I feel like it needs to focus on just Roman and Cody. Another possibility is that the unified championship will be split again. However, in my opinion, this diminishes the whole thing. Although my opinion is that the Universal Title doesn’t count as a World Title and that the only true one is the WWE Title, I feel like Cody needs to win the Unified Titles. Having him win just one, even if it’s the only one I think matters, is not the right call. Because WWE sees both Championships as legit and equal, it would not be beneficial for Cody, or for Roman for that matter. When someone does finally dethrone the Tribal Chief, it needs to mean something. If you defeat Roman but only did it for one belt instead of both, did you really win? Plus it diminishes the point of having had the Championships unified, especially on the scale it was when it was Roman and Brock making it happen! Many people told Cody to finish his story. Triple H recently said that the story isn’t over yet. Perhaps the story finishes next year!

Similar to the idea of Dusty’s “hard times” promo is another story and perhaps it’s just a coincidence that next year WrestleMania will go down in Philadelphia. Some have claimed they are going the route of Rocky II. In the first Rocky movie, many were surprised that Rocky Balboa lost to Apollo Creed. However, Rocky ultimate gets his win against Apollo in the sequel. It does have similarities to Roman and Cody. Also, since Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love, how fitting would it be if Dustin Rhodes was able to celebrate the moment with his brother?

Going back to how Cody gets there, if WWE is apprehensive about Cody winning back to back Rumbles, the winner could go the route of John Cena years ago when he decided to use his Title shot earlier than WrestleMania. This could be a way in for Cody, only the Rumble winner doesn’t get added to make it a Triple Threat, as this is Cody’s story alone. At this point, they could then go with a KofiMania scenario where more obstacles get in his way and it takes him winning the Elimination Chamber to get his Title shot and main event glory. This I believe is the best way to go to get Cody to WrestleMania again with the Chamber win as his last form of hard times before facing Roman Reigns once again.

The Diesel Defense

1995 in the WWF is known as the least profitable year for the company. Therefore, with Diesel the WWF Champion for almost all of that year, he is known as the worst drawing champion in WWF history. However, my opinion is that this is a technicality and that you cannot blame one single person for this. Well, perhaps we can, but it isn’t Diesel, his name is Vince McMahon.

 I always had a problem with the notion that one single wrestler, mainly a World Champion, can be singled out as drawing the most or the least revenue. With the exception of Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan’s runs, I sincerely believe this. So for me, while Diesel’s run may be perceived as the lowest drawing, I’d like to examine why, and I don’t think Dieeel is responsible for any more than 1% of that, and that’s pushing it. As I said, 1995 in general was the least profitable year for the company. So, I wanted to discuss that in more detail as to why this was and why it’s unfair to put this on Diesel’s reign. 

Before I get to things related to this World Title reign, let’s look at the failure that is the year 1995. While Diesel’s reign began in late November, 1994, it wasn’t long after that characters and gimmicks in the company started to get very silly. While you can go back as far as 1993 for the start of this phenomenon, things got exponentially worse and by 1995, it got beyond ridiculous. As for gimmicks, Diesel’s was certainly a shining light among pure crap. Despite not being the best wrestler, he was far from the green performer he was years prior, and you could see his natural charisma really come out, which in a way was a catalyst that led Kevin Nash to his success in WCW. 

Despite this tangent, let me get back to the point. This was truly the time of some of the worst gimmicks and most deserving “WrestleCrap” characters and moments in WWF history. There were a plethora of occupation inspired gimmicks as it seemed everyone had one. We had an evil dentist in Isaac Yankem DDS, a hog farmer in Henry O. Godwinn (get it? Hog?), a garbage man named Duke “The Dumpster” Droese, etc., it was just terrible. Other gimmicks weren’t much better. 

We had the Body Donnas, fitness gurus, which unfortunately overshadowed the in-ring talent of Chris Candido. However, it did lead to a few years of Sunny reaching superstardom. There was Mantaur, a gimmick based on the Greek mythological Minotor, which was already a bad idea on paper, only to be made worse by the fact that the helmet he wore to resemble the creature made it damn near impossible to enter the ring through the ropes. There was a completely uncharismatic “futuristic” tag team called Tekno Team 2000, another team with an awful pun featuring Timothy Well and Steven Dunn as Well Dunn. We had a pirate in Jean-Pierre LaFite, who, much like Chris Candido, overshadowed the talent of one Carl Oulette, who had great success not long before with Jacques Rougaeu as the Quebecers. 

I could go for days naming awful gimmicks so I’ll move on to other idiotic things provided in 1995. There was much more use of these characters over the truly talented and reliable individuals than there should have been. They made Mabel of all people that year’s King of the Ring. There was also the insistence of putting the Undertaker against monster of the month all year. Although, one could look at this as a blessing in disguise as the Undertaker’s injury at the hands of the 500 lb Mabel made management realize that in order for him to get better in the ring, he needed more quality opponents, such as Bret Hart. 

Then of course was making the main event of that year’s WrestleMania, one of it not the worst in history, feature Bam Bam Bigelow with the unenviable task of carrying and putting over NFL legend Lawrence Taylor instead of a World Championship match. While there have been times when a specialty match main eventing over a title match made sense, such as The Rock vs John Cena, for instance, this match was not one of them. 

My next point is made relevant by my statement of too many gimmicks being presented over the truly talented wrestlers on the roster. Diesel was part of the latter. The main players here were Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, the Undertaker, British Bulldog, Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid, and before putting too much weight on, Yokozuna. That’s a fairly elite crew that should have been used more. I’m not going to go into the whole Kliq situation, as although they may have had a lot of influence on Vince McMahon and creative, even they were often overlooked in favor of the ridiculous.

Now we come to the root of this blog, the championship reign of Diesel. After a fantastic 1994, great matches against Razor Ramon, an Intercontinental Title run,  a Tag Team Title run, and a storyline leading to the breakup of Diesel and Shawn Michaels at November’s Survivor Series, Diesel defeated Bob Backlund a few days later to become the WWF Champion. A rocket was strapped to back of Big Daddy Cool and the WWF was now running on Diesel Power. As a boy who turned 15 just days earlier, I was ecstatic. Despite the drawing issue, which kids couldn’t care less about, you have to admit that Diesel was over huge at the time. His first test would be against Bret Hart in January of 1995 at the Royal Rumble. Bret was chosen as the opponent because of the way he lost the WWF Title to Backlund a few nights before Diesel beat Backlund for it, which included an Oscar-level performance by Owen Hart. You’d think we’re off to a good start with an opponent like Bret. On paper yes, but unfortunately this match was marred with interference intended towards both individuals and the match ended in a disqualification. Incidentally, but unrelated, their first encounter 7 months earlier at the 1994 King of the Ring also ended in disqualification. 

The next Title defense came at WrestleMania itself, where he would defend against former friend Shawn Michaels, who had won the Royal Rumble. Again, much like the match with Bret, this looked good on paper, and it was beneficial to put Diesel against skilled workers like Hart and Michaels. This match didn’t do as well as it should have. I think a big part of why is because it didn’t main event the show. As I mentioned earlier, the main event was Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor. I think this upset the championship match duo and rightfully so. To be overshadowed by a celebrity appearance was a travesty, thus Diesel and Michaels probably didn’t put as much effort into their match. I would have done the same. A majority of that WrestleMania was awful and I think if the Championship match was the main event and ended the show, it might have been looked at in a better light. In the end, Diesel prevailed. 

So, if Diesel was given booking like this against two extremely skilled wrestlers, what chance did he have against ones that weren’t as skilled? The next Title defense for Diesel was at In Your House the next month against Sid. Sid had been Shawn’s bodyguard of late and after Shown loss and subtly blaming him for the loss, Sid turned on him, leading Diesel coming to Shawn’s aid and reconciling with him. With Shawn injured, Diesel had a new challenger but also had revenge on his mind. Don’t get me wrong, because storyline wise this made sense. However, as much as I found Sid entertaining, he wasn’t exactly a ring technician or savvy on the mic. Diesel defeated Sid to retain the WWF Title but the ratings suffered. 

Diesel continued his feud with Sid in the coming months. By this time, Sid was the main guy in Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation stable. After Bam Bam Bigelow’s loss to Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania, he was kicked out of the stable and replaced with Sid. Diesel made the save and befriended the Beast From the East. The next event was the King of the Ring. While Shawn Michaels had recently made his return to participate in the tournament, the main event was Diesel and Bam Bam against Sid and Tatanka. Beyond the match not being very good, I believe a big factor was that the crowd was just deflated after the previous match saw Mabel win the King of the Ring.

In Your House 2 revisited Diesel vs Sid. Nothing different from their last encounter was in this match. This leads into SummerSlam, featuring the worst main event in the event’s history, where Mabel’s King of the Ring win earned him a WWF Title shot against Diesel. Not only was Mabel just not the right guy, he also injured people, Diesel being one of them in this match. No one wanted to see Mabel in a main event, let alone as WWF Champion. The build up to this match actually leads into In Your House 3, in which Diesel would defend against the newly heel British Bulldog, who turned on Diesel out of the blue in their match against Mabel and Mo, known as Men On a Mission, a week before Diesel’s match with Mabel. With the turn, the Bulldog joined up with the Tag Team Champions, his brother-in-law Owen Hart and Yokozuna, under the tutelage of Jim Cornette. 

After Diesel’s successful defense against the British Bulldog, which was definitely a step up from his series with Sid, the WWF tried something they hadn’t done before. Diesel would team up with his pal Shawn Michaels, now Intercontinental Champion, now referred to as Two Dudes With Attitudes, for a shot at the Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Yokozuna at In Your House 4. However, in this match, Diesel’s WWF Title and Shawn’s Intercontinental Title would also be up for grabs. Again, this was another idea that sounded good on paper. Unfortunately, the failure was because of something no one could control. When the event rolled around, Owen Hart was not at the arena. The British Bulldog stepped in on his behalf to defend the Tag Team Titled with Yokozuna. This also presented the Bulldog with a chance at once again winning the Intercontinental Title or finally winning the WWF Title. As the match was close to ending, Owen made it to the arena and ran down to the ring, ascending to the top rope about to delivered a blow to Diesel. However, Diesel nailed Owen with a punch to the gut, gave him a Power Bomb, and pinned him, causing Diesel and Shawn to become “Two Chaps With Four Straps.” By Raw the next night, they were no longer Champions. Jim Cornette’s legal team contested that since Owen had dropped out of the match, him getting pinned would be meaningless, thus no Title change should count. WWF President Gorilla Monsoon stripped them of the Tag Team Titles. However, the change was still officially in the record books and he would not just hand back the Titles to Owen and Yokozuna, as they had to defeat the Smoking Gunns, the very men they defeated for the Tag Team Titles the first time around at WrestleMania earlier in the year. It become a convoluted mess.

After this came the best match and story of Diesel’s reign as he would once again defend against Bret Hart. However, this would mark the end of Diesel’s reign. Bret defeated Diesel to win the WWF Title in an amazing match. Beyond Bret and Shawn, there were several others that could have given Diesel better quality matches. That would have been better than what happened. Therefore, you cannot blame Diesel at all for being the least successful draw in Championship history. There were too many factors working against him. This is why I call this the Diesel Defense. 

 

Royal Rumble Winner Predictions

 The Royal Rumble is tomorrow night and while the respective men’s and women’s Rumble matches don’t look great on paper, they should still deliver. It’s still an exciting show that fans look forward to yearly. I’m going to do a short Rumble winner pick list of 5 for each Rumble. 

I’ll start with the men’s. My dark horse pick is Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose. I know he’s fully signed to AEW and just made his return after rehab, but with his name being dropped recently on WWE tv and talk of the Shield during the lead up to the Universal Title match between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, I’m throwing it out there, despite how unlikely it is. Simply appearing in the Rumble will be a sight to see and is possible.

My next pick to win is someone who is hard to bet against, and that’s AJ Styles. It’s more than believable to throw “The Phenomenal One” back into the World Title picture at any time. AJ vs. Reigns, Lesnar, or Lashley could be a great main event for WrestleMania.

I know this is very early but my next pick is the NXT Champion himself, Bron Breaker. He has quickly risen in his short time in WWE. He has a pedigree, being the son of Rick Steiner and the nephew of Scott Steiner. Hopefully when he gets to the main roster he can use his namesake. It seems he is  where many predicted Karrion Kross would have been had he been booked correctly and not released. 

Another pick of mine is someone who could put on a main event match at WrestleMania against Reigns, Lesnar, or Lashley. I can’t believe I’m saying this but since I’m trying to base it on a WrestleMania main event caliber match, I’ve got one man in mind…and his name is John Cena! (queue his music). I know he’s not really around anymore and even if he is, he’s a part timer, but him vs either of those three looks great on paper. However, he’s also tied as a pick with none other than Kurt Angle. He’s been reported as being in town tomorrow night. This way, if he wins, he could get the proper send off he should have gotten three years ago, instead of retiring at the hands of Baron Corbin, of all people. 

My last pick is one of the three names I keep mentioning, despite their involvement in Championship matches or being Champions themselves. It’s going to be either Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, or Bobby Lashley. Two years ago, Brock entered the Royal Rumble as champion so who’s to say he can’t do it again. Reigns did the same and even defended his championship in the Rumble match, losing it by eventual winner Triple H. Brock or Roman could win and challenge the other to a World Title unification match. Also, it could end up Bobby Lashley getting screwed somehow in his match with Brock and then their rematch happening at WrestleMania, or Lashley could go one on one with Roman. Either way, I’m trying to look at it from the perspective of a WrestleMania main event that will put butts in seats.

It’s actually easier for me to think up 5 picks to win the women’s Royal Rumble match. My first pick is a no-brainer, if rumors of her return and potential plans are true, and that’s Ronda Rousey. She could win and go on to WrestleMania to have an ultimate rematch with either Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair. 

My next pick is an underdog of sorts, who has fallen short in recent championship challenges, both clean and dirty. I’m taking about Liv Morgan. The first time she faced Becky Lynch, Becky cheated. Then, Becky won fair and square. However, Liv has proved to be scrappy and a fighter. To finally overcome these obstacles would be a feel good moment for sure. 

My next pick is a tie between two potential comeback kids in Bayley and Asuka. Bayley is removed to be ready to come back after her injury, and though she hasn’t been back nor is reported to still be injured, Asuka is another possibility. Either one would be welcomed. 

My dark horse pick is current Impact Women’s Champion Mickie James. It is highly unlikely but hey, it’s my pick and my blog. On the latest episode of Impact, she mentioned her joining in the Rumble and her intent on winning and going on to WrestleMania, not only to compete for one of the WWE Women’s Titles, but also putting her Impact Women’s Championship on the line as well. Hey, a guy can dream! 

My final pick is someone that fans have not stopped talking about or hoping for since her forced retirement. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m talking about Paige. There have been rumors for years about her being cleared to return from her career ending injury. If anyone deserves a moment like this and a potential Title match at WrestleMania with the likes of either Becky or Charlotte, it’s Paige!

Those are my picks and I’m sticking to them! If I had to choose one for the men’s and one for the women’s, my picks would be Kurt Angle and Paige. 

The Impossible Dream

    Tonight is the Survivor Series, one of WWE's biggest events, or at least it used to be! While not much of note will be going on tonight, one specific highlight will be the farewell of he Undertaker, who debuted 30 years ago at the 1990 Survivor Series. In that time, the Undertaker has become one of the most legendary figures in all of wrestling. After many years in the business, it seems that he will finally be retiring from in-ring action. He's not scheduled to wrestle, but there's almost a guarantee that he will get physical, perhaps dishing out a chokeslam or Tombstone to anyone who dares interrupt his farewell. Unfortunately, the fans have never gotten the ultimate dream match of the Undertaker vs. Sting. It may be too late! Or is it?

    

   These two legendary wrestlers did once meet in the ring. However, this was before Mark Calloway became the Undertaker. Back in WCW, Sting wrestled Mean Mark a few times, once even defending the WCW World Title, just mere months before the Undertaker debuted in the WWF at the time. There were a few people in WCW's management that felt the man wouldn't amount to much. Once he saw the writing on the wall and word got to Bruce Prichard, Prichard pitched the future Undertaker to Vince McMahon. The WWF then scouted him and signed him to the company. 

    Soon, Thanksgiving 1990 was upon us and the WWF's annual tradition came back, the Survivor Series. The "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase had his team set to face off with Dusty Rhodes' team. Dusty had the Hart Foundation and Koko B. Ware by his side, while DiBiase used his intelligence. Though the team of Rhythm & Blues, the Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine, were on his side, he kept his third partner a secret. Just before the match, DiBiase introduced his secret partner. Making his way to the ring with manager Brother Love (Bruce Prichard, himself), came the Undertaker. The fear of the fans' faces was palpable. At the time, I had just turned 11 years old a few weeks before, and was one of many children scared of this new wrestler. The Undertaker was a good 6'10 and 300lb man, as he slowly approached the ring. Who could forget the commentary by Rowdy Roddy Piper, as he said about the Undertaker; "look at the size of that ham hock!" During the match, the Undertaker quickly dismantled Koko with a brutal looking Tombstone, before setting his sights on Dusty Rhodes and company. From there, we all know the history of the Undertaker. Shortly thereafter, the Undertaker began being managed by Paul Bearer.

    In the 30 years since his debut, the Undertaker has had many memorable moments in his career. In just one year after his debut, he defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. The Undertaker has won several more World Titles, fought a clone of himself, been betrayed by Paul Bearer, defeated Mankind in the infamous "Hell In a Cell," fought against and with his brother Kane, and has had legendary matches. For many years, in fact, he had a long running winning streak at WrestleMania, which finally ended at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Personally, I try to forget that happened, as I believe the Undertaker's streak should have remained in tact. However, I have other blogs about that specific topic, so it's neither here nor there. Despite that, the Undertaker has remained one of the most important wrestlers in history. His farewell tonight at the Survivor Series, 30 years after his debut, has been promoted by WWE. Many of his former allies and opponents will be there to celebrate the legacy of the Undertaker.

    As I mentioned earlier, the Undertaker, in that persona, has never wrestled Sting. After WCW was purchased by WWE owner Vince McMahon, Sting did not come to the company, as he opted to sit out his AOL/Time Warner contract from WCW. Though Sting finally did arrive at the 2014 Survivor Series, his and the Undertaker's paths have never crossed. In 2015, he lost his WrestleMania debut match against Triple H and then had to retire due to an injury during a match with Seth Rollins later that year. It seemed that Sting vs. the Undertaker was simply not meant to be. Though the Undertaker had an entertaining feud and match with Bray Wyatt that year, I still believe the match with Sting should have occurred. The following year, Sting was retired from the ring and inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

    I have a theory about tonight's Undertaker farewell ceremony. Many expect some kind of shenanigans to go down, prompting the Undertaker to get physical one last time. Whether it be anyone from past opponents all the way up to Retribution, someone is surely bound to feel the wrath of the Undertaker. However, I have an entirely different theory, as you can imagine based on the topic of this blog. Though the match itself will probably be horrible, the buildup alone to a match between the Undertaker and Sting, would be nothing short of amazing. This past month, WWE has promoted 30 days of the Undertaker on their Network. Many may not have noticed this one little detail in the promo for it, but I have. You could distinctly hear a crow in the background, something clearly connected to Sting. Tonight, after the Undertaker's amazing send off, I believe that Sting will appear. Sting will say to the Undertaker that before he retires, there's still one man left to wrestle, and that's Sting himself. He will then challenge the Undertaker to a match at next year's WrestleMania, which will be a double retirement match.

    Though I know it's likely too late, a man can dream, can't he? A match between the two iconic figures during the Attitude Era would have been preferred, even a match at WrestleMania five years ago. Now, in 2020, as the Undertaker's career winds down for good, this will officially be the last time to do the match, most likely too late anyway. However, this is my theory and I'm sticking to it, regardless of how likely it is. Therefore, I boldly predict that Sting will make an appearance tonight and challenge the Undertaker to one last match, at WrestleMania!

Setting the Record Straight: Asuka Was NOT given the Championship!

 A few weeks ago, news broke that WWE Women's Champion at the time, Becky Lynch, became pregnant. It wasn't confirmed until the night after the Money In the Bank Pay-Per-View but many people kind of figured that was the case. The two simultaneous "Money In the Bank" Ladder Matches had been taped weeks before due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest of the card happened live at the show. Even though many knew the Ladder Matches were previously taped, the winners were kept secret and the show still presented the matches as live. Asuka ended up winning the match for the women. As we all know, the winner of Money In the Bank can cash in a shot at the Championship at any time for up to a year. The next night on Raw, Asuka was the Women's Champion, but she didn't cash in.

   An emotional Becky Lynch stood in the ring opening the show. In front of her was the Money In the Bank briefcase that Asuka had won the previous night. She then invited Asuka to the ring. Becky opened up Asuka's case, revealing the Women's Championship inside. Becky informed Asuka that she could no longer fight and be Champion. Becky said that what Asuka won wasn't Money In the Bank, but it was actually the Women's Championship. As Asuka celebrated being the new Champion, Becky continued on with her speech. Becky said that as happy as Asuka was, Becky herself was probably happier. Becky then said to Asuka; "you go be a warrior, and I'm gonna be a mother." In an instant, Asuka and everyone else learned that Becky was indeed pregnant. Asuka, while thrilled to be Champion, embraced Becky in an emotional moment and celebrated the pregnancy.

   The opening two paragraphs of context were necessary for what I'm about to say. Becky's pregnancy aside, which is a whole other topic I don't want to get into, fans discussed what they thought of this angle. I saw many complain that Asuka was pretty much given the Title, and as of late had number one contender Nia Jax say the same. I can see where people got that from, as she was technically presented with the Championship. However, there's something everyone is forgetting! Becky herself said that by winning the Ladder Match, Asuka became the new Women's Champion! She wasn't given the Title; she earned it! Some will likely come out and say that because the match was taped weeks before and that neither the pregnancy, nor the vacating of the Title, were mentioned until Raw the night after the show. However, to the general audience, the Ladder Match was presented as having happened at the PPV. 

   There's a fair point that WWE retconned the situation, but in my opinion, Asuka was not given anything! I understand that to many fans, it appeared as if Becky was just vacating and handing Asuka the Championship right then and there. Hell, Becky even physically handed the Title belt to Asuka, and I'll admit that. However, the Championship had already been vacated before the Money In the Bank Ladder Match, it's just that neither Asuka, nor the audience, knew that until Raw. Perhaps WWE could have mentioned this earlier, or had Becky tape a segment making the announcement before the PPV, but I think they wanted to give Becky a nice moment on Raw. Apparently, Becky's pregnancy announcement was new information to a lot of her peers on the roster, with very few knowing beforehand. 

   I can see why people disliked seeing Asuka becoming the Champion this way, but to me, it was established that she did actually win and earn the Title at Money In the Bank! Therefore, I don't look at it as Asuka being given the Championship. I think the main problem people have with this is that while Becky got a nice and deserved moment, it kind of undermined and overshadowed what Asuka had accomplished. That's a fair point, and perhaps fans would have looked at this situation differently if WWE or Becky made this announcement before the PPV. But again, I look at it as Asuka had won the Championship and was not given it. Unfortunately, WWE is not using my explanation, which is understandable, as they are trying to present Nia Jax as the antagonist. However, it does feed the fans' notions that she was handed a Championship. What's interesting to me, though, is that Nia stated that Asuka was only the Champion because Becky was pregnant. However, the moment she said that, I thought to myself; well, that could have been Nia had she won the match, and she certainly wouldn't have been complaining then. 

   Just so I'm not working myself into a shoot here, I understand that's the point, as Nia is the heel and this is intended to get heat for her Championship match with Asuka coming up in a few weeks at Backlash. Even though I'm not looking at Asuka being given anything, the heat for this upcoming match is the whole reason why WWE and Becky made this announcement the way they did. However, I don't think a lot of people realize or understand that, which is why I wanted to point out my perspective. While yes, the Championship belt was physically handed over, it was actually symbolism of the passing of the torch, rather than something Asuka had not earned. In retort to Nia's claims, however, it would be nice if Asuka, or someone in general, would use the "she earned it" narrative and explain why. That's just my point of view, as it would help continuity wise, as well as give Asuka credibility as Champion.  

   Therefore, the basis of this blog is Asuka and not Becky Lynch. Whether Becky will come back or not remains to be seen, but this needs to be established as Asuka's time. In a way, it makes Charlotte defeating Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship work a lot better, as it gives Asuka the focus of the women's division on Raw. Unfortunately, as I say this, Charlotte is now overexposed, appearing on all three brands, and ruining the entire point of a brand split. But that's neither here nor there! In fact, it gives me an idea for a future blog. No matter how this all turned out, I was thrilled with Asuka winning the match over any of the other women. She really hasn't been the main focus of a women's division since her time in NXT in my opinion. In the past few years, it was either all about Charlotte, or as of the last year and a half, all about Becky, which was well deserved and long overdue. 

   It's going to be interesting seeing where Asuka's reign goes. Beyond Nia Jax, Raw also has other formidable opponents for her, such as Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair, and someone who I would like to see get pushed towards the top, Ruby Riot. There's also the possible call-ups of Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, or other NXT standouts, as well as a possible feud down the road with her former Tag Team Championship partner Kairi Sane. At the end of the day, I'm happy to see Asuka with the spotlight that she worked so hard to attain.

The Legacy of Owen Hart Lives On

Today is a very tough day for me and I'm sure it is for many fans of professional wrestling. Exactly 21 years ago was a truly dark day when the world lost Owen Hart. It hits a little closer to home for me as Owen was and still is my favorite wrestler of all time. He was known as a loving family man that joked with his peers and always made people smile. Even though I never met him, I feel like I knew him. In fact, I once stood just feet away from him at the old Nassau Coliseum when my father took me in November of 1995. As I look back at that card, several wrestlers are no longer here, and it saddens me even further.

On this fateful day, Owen was to descend from the Kemper Arena roof in Kansas City, MO, and into the ring as his former masked persona, The Blue Blazer. Owen reluctantly went with the stunt that tragically ended his life. The harness and clasp malfunctioned in mid-air, releasing Owen, who feel about 80 feet down to the ring. Some people claim to remember hearing Owen say to move out of the way, showing how selfless a human being he was. The live crowd saw this but thought it wasn't real and didn't fully understand what had just happened. The audience at home at this time were viewing a pre-taped promo Owen did as The Blue Blazer for his upcoming match. Medical personnel and wrestlers alike tended to Owen, including Jerry Lawler, who was ringside with Jim Ross doing commentary.

Though nothing was announced on television beyond the fall, as Ross pleaded to the audience that this was indeed not part of the show, Lawler returned to commentary, stoic and pale as a ghost, and said it didn't look good. Owen was rushed to the back, motionless, and went to the hospital. The show went on with minimal updates on the situation until Ross received word over the headset. He had the unfortunate duty to tell the wrestling world that Owen Hart had passed away. I remember where I was that night and cried. As I'm writing this, a chill has come over me and my arms are nothing but goosebumps. I remember it like it was yesterday and not a day goes by that I don't think of Owen in some way. Vince McMahon made the tough and questionable decision to keep the show going after the tragedy. That could be entirely different blog so I won't get into that.

The reason I am writing this is that on Tuesday, Vice's Darkside of the Ring did an episode on the death of Owen Hart. Among the heart broken were his family, namely his older brother Bret Hart. Unfortunately, Owen left his wife Martha a widow and his children without a father. Since then, Martha has brought lawsuits to the WWF at the time, and refuses to let them use his likeness or induct him into their Hall of Fame. It was a tragic and unnecessary accident. Owen didn't even want to do it but he didn't right out refuse, which shows how much of a company man he was. Now, Martha has every right to be angry, as well as her children. I can't begin to understand how they felt and still feel to this day. To me, he was a wrestler, and my favorite at that, but I didn't know him personally. He may have been my hero but he was a father and a husband to them.

Martha Hart continues her hatred for everything involved with WWE, including owner Vince McMahon. Hart finds the company at fault and it's hard not to feel that way. She and her children had a lot to say on Tuesday's episode. Unfortunately, her hatred split the family, as she and Bret, among others, have not spoken to one another for a long time, nor do they get along. In fact, Bret had said he hasn't even seen his niece and nephew since they were kids. Bret, as sad is he was, and as angry he has been with McMahon and the WWE many times over, still wants Owen to be recognized. Martha does not want her late husband's name to be involved in anything where WWE can make a profit, understandably so.

I cannot and will not judge her for this decision. However, she refuses to believe WWE's sincerity and sentiment. I can, however, offer my opinion. Owen is more than deserving of being in the WWE's Hall of Fame; there is no doubt. He is part of the pro wrestling Hall of Fame, which is not associated with WWE, but celebrates professional wrestlers in general. From my perspective, even more so than WWE, his fans would like to see him inducted, as does some of his family. I think it would mean the world to Bret to be able to induct Owen. Beyond the amazing matches they had with and against one another, they were brothers. I can't imagine losing my brother so I can't begin to comprehend what Bret is still going through.

I believe WWE will respect Martha's wishes but it is unfortunate for Owen's fans that they can't celebrate his legacy in that way. I for one would love to see it. I've followed Owen from the beginning of his career to the moment his life was tragically cut short. In 1988, the Blue Blazer came onto the scene. He was fast and athletic, but there was something familiar about the masked man. Even at 8 years old at the time, I knew a lot about wrestling and it wasn't long before I figured out it was Owen Hart under the mask. Many were familiar with the famous Hart wrestling family, as his brother Bret was with the WWF at the time. Their father Stu, the Hart's tough patriarch, trained many wrestlers, specifically his children, to wrestle and he sold his Calgary Stampede promotion to Vince McMahon.

At the time, Owen was a lower card guy, likely wearing a mask so he wouldn't be in the shadow of Bret. Boy, was this some unintentional foreshadowing, no pun intended, as that was exactly a story that would be told years later. He wrestled for a year or so in the WWF and then back home in Canada, as well as with a few other minor promotions. In 1991, Owen returned to the company.. This time, due to his agility, he was now known as "The Rocket" Owen Hart. Just months earlier, Bret went solo and amicably split with longtime partner and brother-in-law, the late Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Together, they were known as the Hart Foundation. Neidhart formed a team with Owen and they were known as the New Foundation. Their finisher was known as the Rocket Launcher, a move where Neidhart would throw Owen onto their opponents, usually for the win. At this point, I really started to rally behind Owen. After Neidhart left, Owen formed a team with Koko B. Ware known as High Energy. However, it wasn't until 1993 that Owen's career would really take off.

It was November of that year at the Survivor Series when people really took notice of Owen Hart. He teamed with brother Bret, along with brothers Bruce and Keith against what was to be a Jerry Lawler-led team, but the King was replaced by Shawn Michaels. In the match, Owen was the only member eliminated, though the team won the match. When Bret and the others celebrated, along with their parents Stu and Helen, Owen came back out and was furious with Bret, mainly because Owen got eliminated due to being distracted by Bret's minor injury. Owen pulled Bret from the turnbuckles and and shoved his older brother, yelling at his family as the show ended. The raw emotion Owen exhibited was so believable. The brothers made amends over the Holidays and decided to challenge the Quebecers for the Tag Team Championships at the Royal Rumble. Bret lost the match for his team and then Owen did the unthinkable. He turned on his brother. This bitter feud lasted the next few years and would involve other members of the family such as Jim Neidhart and the British Bulldog.

At WrestleMania X two months later, Owen had one of his biggest moments when he defeated Bret in the opening match. However, much to Owen's chagrin later that night, Bret defeated Yokozuna for the WWF Championship in the main event. A disgruntled Owen looked on as many of the roster came out to congratulate Bret. At the King of the Ring, Jim Neidhart returned to second Bret in his Championship defense against Diesel. Jim caused a disqualification, making sure Bret retained the Title. Later that night, Neidhart helped Owen win the King of the Ring tournament. Moments after Owen's loss to Bret at SummerSlam in a cage match, Neidhart and Owen attacked other family members. The family feud intensified as 1994 progressed. By years end, Owen cost Bret the WWF Title with one of his best acting performances to date, tearing on the heart strings, no pun intended, of his family and the fans.

Owen would go on to win the Tag Team Titles with Yokozuna the next year at WrestleMania XI. He also won the Titles with the British Bulldog, who had turned on Bret by then. In early 1997, Owen and Bulldog, still Tag Team Champions at the time, were in the finals to determine the first European Champion. The Bulldog won and it led to a rematch shortly after WrestleMania XIII. At the time, Bret became hated, at least by American fans, during his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bret couldn't stand to see the family divided anymore and he reunited with Owen and the Bulldog in a very emotional moment, even though they were the "bad guys" at the time. Owen feuded with Austin later that year and had two reigns as Intercontinental Champion. In November of that year at the Survivor Series, Bret lost his WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels in what is infamously known as the "Montreal Screwjob." Bret left the company for WCW but Owen ended up staying.

Unfortunately, instead of utilizing the tremendous talent and potential of Owen, WWE didn't book him very well. Despite a reign as European Champion, Owen was constantly humiliated by Shawn Michaels and Triple H of Degeneration X. After becoming a member of the Nation of Domination in 1998, having other various minor feuds, and a Tag Team Title run with partner Jeff Jarrett, Owen was forced to go back to his original Blue Blazer gimmick, which is what led to his untimely death months later.

Owen was one of the best wrestlers the world had ever seen, rivaling Bret's skills. Owen had a lot to give in the wrestling business. He gave it all, literally, as he ended up giving up his life. Owen was known by his peers as a great practical joker, and was one of the kindest people in the world. He loved his family dearly. Owen's life was cut short in his prime at the young the age of 34. To this day, he is missed by his family, his friends, and his fans. I'll never forget the amazing wrestler and man Owen was and certainly won't forget the day he died. Owen's legacy lives on and even though I respect his wife and children's wishes, I do hope to one day see Owen inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Rest in Peace, Owen! We love you and miss you!