wrestling / Columns
411Mania’s Squared Circle News Report 11.07.09
Welcome back inside the Squared Circle! How is everyone doing this week? I’m doing pretty damn fine considering the state I was in last week. I don’t know what was going on, but I came down with flu-like symptoms for the first time in years. I usually might have been able to hammer out a column, but the fact that my boss basically refused to give me a day off (I do have a real job people!) really tired me out and as soon as I got home I was hitting the hay. Getting sick is the worst, but I’m a hell of a lot better this week (although I did catch a cold virus….) and I’m back to pump this thing out. The only problem is….this was a slow news week. Especially when you compare it to last week’s bombshell of HOGAN JOINING TNA! Man, did I pick the worst week to miss or what? Sometimes it’s hard to think of stuff to write about, but when something like that happens my brain starts rolling! No problem though, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of stuff to talk about……
Like tonight’s MMA show on CBS! Now, this is one show that everyone has to watch….considering EVERYONE has CBS! If you want to see the #1 heavyweight MMA fighter in the world (and possibly the only heavyweight fighter who could feed Brock Lesnar his own nutsack) then I highly suggest you tune into tonight to see Fedor Emelianenko dominate the undefeated Brett Rogers. Rogers is a huge dude, but Fedor is just too talented. I’m expecting Emelianenko to come out and submit Rogers in the first round. Fedor is just too good people! Oh, and watch out for Gegard Mousasi. He’s one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world and should put on a hell of a show against Sokoudjou.
Anyways…….
LET’S GET IT ON!!!!!
Biggest News Of The Week:
Are We Ready For The WWE Network???……
.jpg)
Who said overexposure is a bad thing???…..
Earlier this week, during the WWE’s quarterly investors call, Vince McMahon apparently once again brought up the idea of starting a WWE Network. While there is currently nothing REALLY on the table for the network yet, the fact that Vince is extremely interested in it now is something us WWE fans should rejoice about….or is it? Is there such a thing as too much wrestling? If we have access to 24/7 WWE programming on our TV, will any of us ever leave our house again? Well, I know I will….I have to, I have a job. However, 20% of you reading this are likely to gain 50+ pounds if the WWE does decide to start their own network. Now, let’s move on to the good points of having the channel before we really get carried away with the bad.
The WWE has the world’s biggest pro wrestling video tape library. They not only have all of their own footage, but they own the video tape collection of ECW, WCW, and many others. Imagine the possibilities of 24/7 old school WWE footage sitting at the push of a button. Imagine turning it to channel 342 (WWETV) because the guide says “WCW Great American Bash 1989” or “WWE Monday Night RAW Episode: 543” or “ECW Barely Legal” or ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF!
Any wrestling fan is going to jump all over that. With all the channels on TV now a days, it’s really hard for anyone to say “There’s nothing on TV”! Now, with a WWE channel with 24 hour programming featuring stuff we possibly haven’t seen in years….I don’t know about you, but I suddenly care less about the actual Monday Night RAW and more about what may be airing on the WWE Network. Of course, that all ties into the “bad thing” about a WWE Network.
The major potential bad thing about a whole WWE Network is this…most people could end up getting their fill of wrestling from the channel itself and decide not to tune into the real “money making” WWE shows like RAW or Smackdown. Let’s face it, with wrestling almost on every single night of the week now, a lot of people are getting “overexposed” to the stuff and not tuning into every show and instead opting to read a recap online or something. If you are already a victim of “overexposure”, is starting a 24/7 network featuring non-stop wrestling REALLY a good idea?
The answer…..
OF COURSE IT IS! We all want 24/7 non-stop WWE/WCW/ECW/etc, etc, etc action because who doesn’t love a little “Shotgun Saturday Night” on Saturday Night???? I really miss that show and I would LOVE to see a DVD of the “Best of Shotgun Saturday Night”, but that’s a story for a different day….
The bottom line is, a WWE channel would be solid gold and if the WWE charged just right for it, they could potentially end up making some big bucks. How is that NOT a good idea???
Remember This Guy???
Rad Radford
Louie Spicolli was a jobber in the WWE (as well as a worker in Mexico) before finally getting his big chance with the company when they announced that they were FINALLY going to get him a gimmick! The only problem was the gimmick they had in mind for the guy was as a “grunge rocker” by the name of Rad Radford. Not only that, but they started to hint at the fact that he happened to be the boyfriend of Courtney Love (which was pretty big at the time considering Kurt Cobain had just recently died) in an attempt to get him over.
However, nothing worked and Radford flopped pretty quickly. They even gave him a storyline where he was trying to get in shape thanks to the “Bodydonnas”, but he was quickly kicked out of the group when they noticed he wasn’t getting any slimmer. He was released by the company just months later after suffering a seizure due to overdosing on Soma pills. Spicolli then went on to ECW and WCW before succumbing to his drug addictions at the age of 27. Another sad case of a good wrestler gone way too early……
Rad Radford against some dude named Bret Hart……
Random News Bits:
– Another former WCW star (and friend of Eric Bischoff’s), Diamond Dallas Page, recently mentioned that he would be interested in signing with TNA if a deal was offered to him. Page is currently set to return to the indies and if things go well and TNA does decide to offer him a contract, he will apparently jump at the chance. That works out incredibly well seeing as TNA is currently jumping at the chance to sign any old farts who are going broke and need money….
– TNA apparently keeps offering a deal to John “Bradshaw” Layfield, but Layfield is not that interested at the moment. Well, DUH! If Layfield really did want to return to wrestling, one would assume he would return to the WWE instead of signing with “WCW-lite”. Trust me, that’s one ship you don’t want to sail on…..
– At the last TNA tapings, a few workers had asked for their release from the company but were turned down. No word on who they are (one of them was Frankie Kazarian, while another may have been AJ Styles) but let’s just say this….I got a big case of deja vu. Remember when Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Saturn, and a few others started to see the writing on the wall in WCW and decided to ask for their release so they could jump ship to the WWE? Well, this is somewhat of the same thing. A group of TNA workers are dissatisfied with the creative team and want to leave the company. However, TNA didn’t give them their releases and instead decided to keep the disgruntled workers. Let’s just see how that one works out……
– Sting is currently set to return in 2010 for a farewell tour with TNA. However, there is no word on whether or not the farewell tour will be for Sting or for TNA itself…..
Thank you, thank you….I’ll stop now with the “TNA is going to die thanks to Hulk Hogan jokes”. I promise!
– Jim Ross is still on the sidelines due to his bells palsy attack. Hopefully he will get better soon as the man is truly one of the best guys in pro wrestling. Not only that, but the WWE NEEDS Jim Ross. Get well soon JR!
– The Big Show’s WWE produced movie “Knucklehead” is going to feature him as an MMA fighter who has to compete in matches and win in order to earn money for an orphanage. The original plan was for Show to be a pro wrestler but the WWE apparently didn’t want to insult the fans intelligence by releasing a movie that portrayed wrestling as real. You know, because that would be BAD! I’m just bitter because I wanted to see another movie about pro wrestling. I think the last one I remember seeing was Ready To Rumble. Remember that classic???? I WILL RULE YOU~!!!!!
– Candice Michelle has announced that she is pregnant and is due in May. I have no idea how this will affect her wrestling career but let’s hope she will finally stop doing those lame “GoDaddy” commercials. Wow! Girls almost getting nude on TV! I can see that whenever I want on this lovely little thing I call the Internet, just sayin……
– The WWE had its quarterly investors call earlier this week. The company should be happy considering they took in $111.3 million through the months of July and September for an $8.9 million profit. Those numbers are up from last year which is always a GREAT sign for a company in this economy so KUDOS to the WWE!
– Chris Jericho got himself into somewhat of a bind this week. Apparently Jericho was attending the Sacramento Horror Film Festival and kept referring to the moderator as “Hadji” (a racial term used towards Middle Easterners). Not only that, but when the host went to take a sniff of Jericho’s drink to check for booze, Jericho said “Its apple juice….fag.” When Jericho finally apologized, it was a “hollow” apology but Jericho did brag that he was FINALLY mentioned on TMZ! Ladies and gentlemen….this is why Chris Jericho is one of my favorite wrestlers (I love someone who tries to create controversy)…..
– The WWE has apparently told the talent to try to use Twitter less, especially after midnight. Lord knows the company doesn’t want people to know that Chris Jericho is up at 3AM calling the Miz a “douchenozzle who can’t wrestle.” You have to remember, the WWE is targeted towards kids now and they don’t want the kids to think it’s cool to stay up til 3AM calling people “douchenozzles”.
– Click here to listen to a great interview with the Dark City Fight Club as well as Gabe Sapolsky. The DCFC actually claim that the tag team scene in ROH is the best in the world. What do you think?
(Credit goes to The Wrestling Observer for the above news!)
Wrestling Top 10 Lists:
Top 10 Best Matches in Survivor Series History
Survivor Series was always one of my favorite PPV’s when I was a kid. I LOVED the team based matches where the teams actually had names like “Rowdy’s Roddies”. I was extremely bummed when the WWE decided to drop that format and start featuring singles matches, but have no fear! Leading up to this year’s Survivor Series, I will be doing plenty of top 10 based Survivor Series lists! I’m sure I’ll be bringing up plenty of nostalgia for everyone to bathe in so sit back and enjoy!…..
This list is in a particular order……
Honorable Mentions:
Donna Christanello, Dawn Marie, Leilani Kai, Judy Martin, and Sherri Martel vs. Rockin Robin, The Fabulous Moolah, Velvet MacIntyre, and the Jumping Bomb Angels – Survivor Series 1987
Ted DiBiase, The Mountie, The Warlord, and Ric Flair vs. Bret Hart, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, The British Bulldog, and Virgil – Survivor Series 1991
Demolition, the Bolsheviks, the Brainbusters, the Conquistadors, and the Rougeau Brothers vs. The Powers of Pain, the British Bulldogs, the Hart Foundation, and the Young Stallions – Survivor Series 1988
Adam Bomb, Diesel, I.R.S., and Rick Martel vs. Randy Savage, Marty Jannetty, 1-2-3 Kid, and Razor Ramon – Survivor Series 1993
AND NOW…..THE TOP 10!!!!
10) Bodydonna Skip, Rad Radford, 1-2-3 Kid, & Dr. Tom Pritchard vs. Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz, & Bob Holly
WWE Survivor Series 1995
Who would have thought that a match featuring an exercise nut, an alternative rocker, a heavenly body, a jobber, and Bob Holly would be known as one of the 10 best matches in Survivor Series history? Well, I have news for you! IT IS~! When you looked at these two teams on paper, all you could really do is just sigh and prepare yourself for a stinkfest. However, what we actually ended up getting was an enjoyable match featuring guys who had pretty good chemistry. I was always a fan of the old school Survivor Series style matches and this one is definitely one of the best of them……..
I couldn’t find this actual match (bummer!), but I did find Rad Radford’s (RIP!) WWE debut!………
9) Shawn Michaels vs. Sid
WWE Survivor Series 1996
In what was probably the best match Sid ever had (and that’s saying A LOT!), he managed to capture the WWE heavyweight title for the first time in his life. I have always had a soft spot for Sid and I remember this match distinctively. I was shocked to see Sid finally win a title and even though it took a camera for him to take HBK out…..it was still a glorious moment for all “Sycho” Sid fans!
Sid turns on Shawn Michaels! OMG!!!!!……..
8) Big Show, Undertaker, Kane, Chris Jericho, & The Rock vs. Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, & Steve Austin
WWE Survivor Series 2001
Ahhh, the Invasion. Those words alone can send chills down any big time wrestling fan’s back. For all the crap that the WWE is given for the Invasion storyline, the one thing they did get right was the final blow off match to end the whole entire crappy thing. While I could go on for days about why the Invasion was one of the worst moments in wrestling history, I would prefer to just throw this match in and smile at how the whole shitty ordeal was able to end with a pretty damn good match. Speaking of which, hopefully one day the WWE releases an Invasion DVD that explains the whole horrible storyline. I would actually purchase that thing….
AND HERE IT IS IN ALL IT’S GLORY…………..
7) Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund
WWE Survivor Series 1994
Who wasn’t surprised by the outcome of this match? While Bob Backlund’s “crazy” character was pretty over in the 1990’s, no one expected him to win the WWE World Title for a second time. Not only that, but the ending to this match was pretty clever. So, great match + clever ending + two damn good in-ring workers = A DAMN GOOD TIME!!!
BACKLUND WINS! BACKLUND WINS!!!……..
6) The Hart Foundation, Demolition, the Dream Team, the Islanders, and the Bolsheviks vs. Strike Force, the Young Stallions, the British Bulldogs, the Rougeau Brothers, and the Killer Bees
WWE Survivor Series 1987
I have to admit, this match is on the list because it’s a personal favorite of mine. I always loved when the WWE threw all the tag teams together in one Survivor Series type match and let them all FIGHT FOR THE DEATH! This is a great match with a whole bunch of awesome tag teams. You really can’t go wrong when you put Demolition, the Hart’s, the Dream Team, Strike Force, the Bulldogs, and the Rougeau’s all together in one ring. Good things will happen…..and they did……
Survivor Series the way it was meant to be…….
5) Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Rob Van Dam, and Shawn Michaels vs. Mark Henry, Scott Steiner, Chris Jericho, Christian, and Randy Orton
WWE Survivor Series 2003
When I saw this match on paper, I really wasn’t expecting much. While you can’t go wrong when you put Booker, RVD, HBK, Jericho, Christian and Orton together, I seriously had my doubts that this would turn into a great match due to the presence of the Dudley’s, Mark Henry, and Scott Steiner. However, in the end we got a GREAT performance out of Shawn Michaels which really made this match something to remember. It also helped make the “Austin vs. Bischoff” feud that was SOOOOOOOOOOO damn boring, at least somewhat interesting for about twenty minutes or so…….
BY GAWD~! IT’s TEAM AUSTIN vs. TEAM BISCHOFF!!!!……..
4) Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels
WWE Survivor Series 2007
Once again, a match I never expected to be ranked this high is sitting here in 4th place! Then again, it’s Shawn Michaels and you always have to assume you are about to see a legendary match when he’s participating. Not only was HBK able to bring some of the best out of Randy Orton, but the psychology of the match was outstanding. When you factor in the whole “If Orton gets DQ’d he loses his title or if HBK uses his superkick he is DQ’d” stipulation and it made the match even more entertaining. I never would have thought a Randy Orton match would be in my top 10, much less in my top 5……
“The Legend Killer” tries to take out a legend………
3) Bret Hart vs. Diesel
WWE Survivor Series 1995
If you would like to see Kevin Nash at his best, then I HIGHLY recommend checking out this match. Bret Hart was one of those talented guys who could make even big lugs like Nash look like Ric Flair in the ring. It’s part of being one of the best wrestlers of all-time…it just goes with the territory. Trust me, just watch this match…..
Bret Hart vs. Diesel in one of the best matches in Kevin Nash’s career…………
2) Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
WWE Survivor Series 1992
Not much to explain here. It’s HBK vs. Bret Hart at Survivor Series….and there is no screw job, Montreal, or Vince McMahon involved! Oh no! It’s just two of the best workers of all-time battling years before they had a beef with each other in a classic match! While the 1992 Survivor Series may not have been the best overall show, this match was definitely the highlight of the show. It’s also cool to go back and see these two battle before Michaels became a really big diva……
HBK vs. Bret Hart…back when they sort of use to get along each with other. It’s a title fight at Survivor Series too, IRONY~!……..
1) Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin
WWE Survivor Series 1996
What do I really have to explain here? By now, its pretty clear that Bret Hart OWNS the Survivor Series (he’s in 5 of my top 10 matches!) and we should all just shut up and watch the man at work…..
Here it is, Bret “The Hitman” Hart vs. “Stone Cold”……….
YouTube! Find Of The Week!
This really is one of the lamest moments in wrestling history……
And that’s it for me this week. Remember, don’t be a stranger to 411! Bookmark the site and visit it countless times a day. Hell, be brave and make it your homepage! Trust me, it will make you a better person……
See you next Saturday back in the Squared Circle! Until then, you can find me on Facebook! .
Also, make sure you follow me on Twitter for plenty of good sports updates, MMA news, and tons of hilarious stuff.
All of 411’s zones are also on Twitter, so make sure you check it out…..
http://www.twitter.com/411mania
http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma
http://www.twitter.com/411boxing
