Ask 411 Wrestling 08.27.08: Simultaneous Titles, Title Additions, Title Runs…

Greetings, humanity! Welcome back to and thanks for joining me in Ask 411 Wrestling. I’m the guy with too much time on his hands, the never-bored Chris Lansdell, and I wish the Olympics were still on. 18 months til Vancouver 2010!

So you all need to check out the song It’s Far Better To Learn by Saosin. I have no idea if they’re old, new or even where I found them, but I love this song. Enough of that though, let’s get to the…

BANNER!

From the peanut gallery

Tons of comments on Taker being in a biker gang…

I wouldnt exactly say “biker gang” but Taker’s love of motorcycles was documented several times years before he debuted the American Bad Ass character…namely an article in WWF Magazine in the fall of 1994 where he is on the cover in a graveyard and on a bike. And the article explains his love of motorcycles…which is why his American Bad Ass character, while not overly successful, wasn’t a total stretch. That’s pretty who Taker IS and he just used it to give the Deadman gimmick a little rest. Thats that…

Posted By: Silverbullet (Guest) on August 19, 2008 at 11:22 PM

As far as the Undertaker biker gang thing I have seen Taker in a Hells Angels support shirt. While I don’t beleive he is a card carrying member of the Hells Angels I would not be suprised to hear he has ties there. I also know a lot of people that don’t beleive the tattoo on his stomach doesn’t actually stand for Back Stage Krew

Posted By: Jay (Guest) on August 19, 2008 at 11:56 PM

On the RAW in 1997 that Paul Bearer revealed the horrible secret of Taker (that being Kane), Taker showed up in a backstage promo wearing typical biker gear.

I’m not surprised about the confusion because this was during the three way faction war between Faarooq’s Nation of Domination, Crush’s motorcycle riding Disciples of Apocalypse, and Savio Vega’s Los Boriquas. One of my high school classmates at the time commented that Taker looked like he was in the DOA.

Posted By: bluedragonx (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 12:56 AM

Taker wasn’t in biker gang. but I think that the Tats of his Stomach stand for a motorcycle club BSK Pride. I’m not much of a motorcycle guy so I don’t know either, I just know the tats have something to do with bikes.

Posted By: Davis (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 02:00 AM

I googled BSK and found a few sites (Wiki, Yahoo answers) that says it stands for Brotherhood of Solitary Knights. Sounds like a biker gang to me. I’m just glad I get my meth from the Hell’s Angels and not BSK. Buying meth from the Undertaker would be awkward…

Posted By: Jimbo (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 11:47 AM

Mark Calloway being a MEMBER of a biker gang? Ive had the privelage of meeting MR. Calloway a few times in a non-wrestling environment and I can say with certainty that he PERSONIFIES the definition of INDIVIDUAL. He does and says what he wants, when he wants.

Most “biker gangs” seem to thrive on the PACK mentality. The many lead by the one. If ANYTHING, Taker would be that ONE. I’m sure he KNOWS some Angels and has a mutual respect of sorts is shared. However, given Mark’s career I doubt he is dumb enough to get involved with the seedier side of the biker lifestyle.

Posted By: CM Wolf (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 06:17 PM

I can exclusively confirm that Mark “Undertaker” Calloway is in fact a card carrying member of the Hello Kitty Fan Club. He enjoys flower arranging, pottery and long walks on the beach. Oh, and banging Michelle McCool.

Posted By: Taker’s housekeeper’s mother’s (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 08:12 AM

I hate to correct you, but actually, Taker’s dog-walker’s cousin’s 5th Grade Teacher’s chiropractor’s plumber’s neighbor’s Tae Kwan Do instructor is actually a Mongol. Just sayin . . .

Posted By: McLovin (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 10:23 AM

Basically, I too would not be surprised if he knew people who were in gangs, and I would certainly agree that he is probably a member of a motorcycle club, or several. The BSK tattoo, if it IS meant for the gang, could well be a support thing. Like CM Wolf, I just can’t see him as a member of a pack, he’s too much of a Lone Wolf (not Scott Hall). Besides, as such an imminently recognisable figure, it would be almost impossible to hide. Good to see some respectful debate on the topic though. Regarding Taker’s streak:

“especially if he faces HHH”

Uhh, he should be facing HBK if anything

Posted By: Jones (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 02:40 AM

I agree, or some young guy who would benefit from the rub. I have a sinking feeling it will be HHH though, since Taker owes him a Mania J-O-B.

Love the column, Chris, but can I make a request? I know he did a terrible terrible thing, but can’t we just call him “Chris Benoit?” He was horribly mentally disturbed on the worst night of his life, such that had he not killed himself, he’d have probably been found not guilty due to temporary insanity. Thanks. And Silverbullet, I thought Undertaker’s American Bad Ass run was hugely successful, especially when he came out to Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin'”. It resurrected (pardon the pun) his career.

Posted By: APinOz (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 04:06 AM

I’ve made clear my position on him before, and right now I am not ready to change it. Not to be a shameless plugger, but if you want to know why I feel that way, read this.

I personally enjoyed BikerTaker and it was a refreshing change to a characted that had grown stale. Plus his entrance didn’t last longer than half the midcard matches.

“The problem is, I can’t now remember what point I was trying to make. And for all the people who quoted such irreproachable sources as Warrior Warrior and Kevin Nash…please.”

And don’t forget the Master of Overness that was NAILZ… He also claimed Vince was homo and fired him after MOLESTING him (and NOT because of anything else!) – and you can’t argue with the authoritah of one NAILZ.

Posted By: Sarcastro (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 04:34 AM

Ah yes, Nailz. How could I possibly have forgotten? Oh that’s right, selective memory. Gobbledy what now?

Chris I tried to email you but it was telling me your Hotmail address wasn’t available or something so I’ll paste it here:

Hey Chris, great column, one of the parts of 411 that I always make sure to check out. I just read though in your August 20th Ask 411 column, and I saw this:

…If CZW want to come to Newfoundland, or send me some DVDs, I will gladly review them. The same goes for any other fed out there. Except IWA-MS. I wouldn’t like to speak for Dunn, Csonka and the other reviewers, but I dare say they would do the same.

This isn’t a wrestling question, just curious – are you from NL? That’s where I’m from and I thought I was like the only person in this province that read 411. Anyway, keep up the good work.

Posted By: JParsons (Registered) on August 20, 2008 at 05:43 AM

Yeah, about the email thing…the 411 system for some reason took the “@live.com” and mutated it to “@hotmail.com”, so anyone clicking on the email link has been having the same problems. It has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with me being an idiot and typing it wrong. Nope, no way. Anyone who tried to email me and could not should feel free to try again. It’s fixed now…I think.

I am indeed in Newfoundland, Canada, though I am not from here. I know of at least 3 others just at work who read 411, so you are far from alone.

How come you say “Except IWA-MS.”? You got beef?

Posted By: Jaked (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 08:05 AM

Not really beef, I just hate garbage wrestling with nothing to redeem it. CZW has its fair share of that but at least manages some decent matches amid the carnage. As another commenter said, IWA-MS has abandoned all pretence of being wrestling and just goes for the gore and shock factors. Plus Ian Rotten is a wart on the backside of humanity.

Michael Cole SMOKES Schiavone as a commentator. Has Cole ever called a table a chair? A powerbomb a suplex?

Posted By: Ian (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 08:23 AM

As stated by another commenter, he’s done far, FAR worse. Hell, even JR has done worse than that. Cole tries too hard to get catchphrases over, sucks at building tension, looks like someone Chris Hansen would like a chat with, and just flat out blows. Vintage Cole~!

“I dunno, he seemed like a cross between Demolition and Jason Voorhees to me” Lord Humongous wasnt a rip off, he was an EXACT copy of the charracter from The Road Warrior, same name, same outfit.

Posted By: AOD (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 09:13 AM

How someone in 2008 has not seen Road Warrior and know the character Lord Humongous is beyond me. For Christ sake… he had a fuckin action figure!

Posted By: Chris (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 11:03 AM

Having an action figure is no accomplishment these days. I have never seen The Road Warrior and from the looks of it, I didn’t miss much. And he still looks like a cross between Demolition and Jason.

squidbillies mentioned flair, regarding the constitution or something.

Posted By: Bryant Daniels (Registered) on August 20, 2008 at 11:32 AM

That’ll teach me to ask a trivia question without checking to see if there’s more than one answer. Who or what is a squidbillie, and can I catch it from Ashley Massaro? I was referring to the name-drop on the World Premiere Toon-In episode of Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast, where they bring on Van Partible (director of Johnny Bravo) and Zorak asks if he knows Ric Flair.

SG: C2C ruled. I am the Lone Locust of the Apocalypse!

Lesnar = Choke Artist to the max. Dude, if I’m at WM19, I do not choke on the SSP of the finish of, maybe, the greatest wrestling match of all time.Wrestling match. Ya know, can someone get on that level with me?!

Posted By: Russonomics (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 08:11 PM

Nope, I can’t. Lesnar didn’t choke, he underestimated the distance he would need to leap, tried to compensate in mid-air and under-rotated. He’d hit the move dozens of times before with no issues. Litle harsh in your judgement there, my friend.

KOTR93 worse than December to Dismember? Really?

Really?

Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on August 21, 2008 at 12:23 PM

It’s 1995 we’re panning, and yes it is worse than December to Dismember. D2D at least had the 4-way ladder match (with exploding Mercury face action! New from Hasbro!) to redeem it. KOTR 95 had nothing. NOTHING.

Before Batista went out with an injury and before Eddie Guerrero passed away. What were the original plans for WrestleMania 22?

Posted By: Ray A (Guest) on August 19, 2008 at 11:27 PM

You pretty much answered your own question. They were building a Batista-Eddie angle based on Eddie trying to prove he was Batista’s friend and then turning on him. Inevitably.

The best Botchamania is the the one that shows West & Tenay reading from a freakin’ script during the Abyss/Sabu barbeb wire massacre.What a couple of douchebags!
Anyway my question is: I was watching an old Raw from 9/15/97 on WWE 24/7 and there was a match between Taka Minchinku(sp?) and someone in a mask called La Pantera. Was this Tajiri in a mask? He seemed to have the same style as him,but I dont remember when he came in. Was he in WWE before he was in ECW? Help anyone?

Posted By: greggagnesucks (Guest) on August 20, 2008 at 12:39 PM

Pantera is a fairly well-known Mexican wrestler who was brought in for the match with Michinoku, back when WWE thought they should develop a light heavyweight division to match WCW. It was a valiant effort but ultimately it failed, because Vince hates midgets.

Enough rabble from the cheaper seats. Question time!

JMFabiano is asking a very common question and one not so common one:

The Undertaker/Michelle questions reminded me…there is one picture I saw on 411 with UT in “civilian” gear, including shorts that revealed a very weird looking left kneecap. Any idea what’s up with that?

I take it you’re referring to this image:

The first few times I saw this picture, I was fairly sure it was a raindrop or some other moisture on the lens. The more I look at it, the more I think it’s fluid on the knee. There’s hardly a part of his body that Taker hasn’t had a procedure done on, so that would be a very possible situation.

Also, I heard a comment made elsewhere about the “Legacy of Stone Cold” DVD set. Apparently Austin wasn’t happy with it…is that true, and if so, do you (or anyone) know why?

The editing, namely the Benoit edits. The whole Two-Man Power Trip situation had to be left off because they did not want to include him, which left out a big chunk of Austin’s career (the best part of his heel turn).

Lee questions the ULTIMATE Challenge!

Hogan v Warrior wrestlemania 6, they clashed at the rumble and did some
promos during the event but what other build occured for this match? Why
was warrior the number one contender, how was it announced, in rings
clashes, tag team mix ups etc?

Warrior and Hogan had a confrontation at the Rumble, as you mentioned. The match was officially announced at a press conference on February 5 1990, but had been previously announced at a Superstars taping in January for a show that aired February 10 1990. Warrior was facing Dino Bravo on the house show circuit, while Hogan was facing off with Mr Perfect and The Genius. Hogan made a run-in save for Warrior on SNME on February 23 when Dino Bravo and Earthquake were beating him down. Warrior had some famously incoherent promos, including one on March 10 and 18 which were on YouTube but appear to have been removed. Warrior was on a meteoric rise at this point, and Hogan was Hogan, so they didn’t really need all that much build.

Do you know any websites where I can buy region 2 ROH dvd’s?

I’m afraid not. You might try emailing [email protected] to see if there are any plans, but I have looked before for friends of mine in the UK without success.

Steve S is rightfully lamenting the worst promo ever.

GREAT job so far, Chris!

Why thank you!

Quick two part question for you this week:

I was watching an old VHS tape from the 80’s, and one of the commercials was a 30-second spot for the NWA syndicated Saturday show. The last shot of the promo says, in bold letters, NWA: Catch the Pinfalls.

1.Have you ever seen this promo? They used to run it all the time on Saturday mornings.

I have not. I was not in North America during the 80s and the only wrestling I got was AWA, then WCCW, then GWF on ESPN and WWF PPVs.

2. Is that not the WORST ever catch-phrase this side of Thursday Raw Thursday? I mean, Catch the freakin’ pinfalls?

It’s way up there, or down there I should say. I didn’t think Thursday Raw Thursday was that bad though. Catching pinfalls sounds like…I have no idea what it sounds like. I have no joke. I feel ill.

red eye souljah, which I am sure is not a reference to any form of narcotics since we have a strict Wellness program here at 411mania, has 2 questions about JBL.

What? We don’t have Wellness? That explains Michael O I guess…

hey man love the site and i got a weird question. do wrestlers feel embarrassed when they have man boobies or their not as muscular as some other wrestlers? and 2nd why does jbl call the great american bash his pay per view? thanks!

JBL considers The Great American Bash “his” PPV because he sees himself as a real American hero. I thought that was GI Joe, but what do I know?

Wrestlers might feel embarrassed were it not for the insanely large paychecks they get to look the way they do. People like Big Daddy Moobs are supposed to make teenage girls jealous. JBL is just off the roids, I mean out of shape, and I doubt he cares. Gives him somewhere to stash some hundreds. There was the story about Rock getting breast reduction surgery to prevent the onset of Samoan Moob Syndrome, if you choose to believe that one.

Brian T asks a popular TNA question:

I haven’t wrote in a while because all my questions have been answered until now. I asked when TNA will get a two hour show, thats been done. Now I would like to know when will they create a mid-card title? I mean I noticed they are trying to heat up the Tag Team and X-Divisions (well I don’t know about the X title scene). They have a lot of good talent (they let go of a few though). Its just my opinion, but if they think they want to be a real contender to WWE, they need to display all there talent and quit putting things in backburner until its too late (like they quit). I mean really what going on with that?

It’s a tough one for TNA. Right now they have 3 singles titles (4 if you count the Drinking Championship) and 1 tag title to find contenders and TV time for. That’s 4 feuds minimum, plus at least 3 more to set up contenders. 7 feuds in 2 hours a week is a tight squeeze, but to add 2 more at least would be even worse. That’s without even considering the smaller roster. A midcard title would be good to establish new talent, but they’re going to have to use the X-Division title to do that for now because otherwise something will suffer.

Taylor is asking after the quintessential studmuffin:

Do you know what Joel Gertner is up to these days?

Not enough of this.

Honestly, he seems to have disappeared. A promoter friend of mine was interested in bringing him in for a show but couldn’t find him. Anyone got any info?

Jonathan C is asking something I was wondering myself:

At Summerslam, the main two events are not for titles. Maybe they won’t be the final two matches, but easily the most hyped matches of the card. Can you remember a pay-per-view with the top two matches not for a world title? Or any other cards where so much emphasis was placed on a non-title match? Rock-Hogan comes to my mind first from Wrestlemania, which should have been final match. Any more thoughts on it?

WrestleMania 24 had Flair-Michaels, of course, which was the main event in many people’s eyes. Wrestlemania VIII was also a weird one, with the world title match in the midcard. Bulldog-Bret main evented SummerSlam 92. SummerSlam 88, 89 and 91 didn’t even have a world title match. For years the Royal Rumble didn’t have world title matches since the champion was in the Rumble, and it was the main.

RMcGinnis is back asking about faces and heels, and Kane.

Thanks for answering my first question, anyway, I’ve thought of a few more. First with all the talk of heel/face changes had anyone ever stayed just one face/heel for they’re whole carear? And last one would be one that might have been asked before! Back a few years ago, I’d say 05-06, WWE ran a “fake” Kane gimmick and fueded him with Kane, who was this mystery Kane and did they ever end this storyline on TV? Thanks, Peace!

The fake Kane was Drew Hankinson, known in Deep South Wrestling as Freakin’ Deacon and nowadays as Festus. They had one PPV match at Vengeance 06, less than a month after the début of fake Kane, which fake Kane won. The next night on Raw the real Kane beat the tar out of fake Kane, ripped of his mask and threw him out of the arena. This was the last we saw of fake Kane and stands as the blowoff to the “feud”. No, seriously.

I know the face/heel question has been asked before, but Ricky Steamboat, Ultimate Warrior, Tito Santana and Rey Misterio have always been faces. The heel list is significantly shorter, and only Iron Sheik springs to mind of people with any longevity in the business.

Another returning questioner, Laszlo wants to know about title reigns:

Since the collapse of WCW and ECW there has been what I consider resurgence in independent wrestling. Because these athletes are simultaneously in so many promotions it is difficult to know the full complement of titles they possess. For example Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs currently hold both ROH and PWG Tag Team titles but you would never know it by watching a single promotion. Any idea what post WCW collapse wrestler has held the most titles simultaneously?

In order to preserve my sanity, I am going to exclude Japan and Mexico, because they have so many titles that are multiple titles over there. Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli held 3 tag titles at the same time (RoH, CHIKARA and CZW), while both Awesome Kong and MsChif have held 3 singles titles simultaneously. For all the titles he’s held, Bryan Danielson only ever had 2 simultaneously. Of course James Storm currently holds 2, the TNA tag titles and the Drinking championship. I wanted, and tried very hard, to forget that Kurt Angle held all 3 men’s titles in TNA and the “IWGP” title at the same time.

Phillis is going for CHRIS ABYSS and The King. Strange bedfellows indeed…

Do you think Abyss would fit well in WWE? He could do an angle where he’s The Undertaker and Kanes brother maybe?

He’d be a great fit: big guy, knows how to work, can make everything look like it hurts, and will take crazy bumps. If he ever does come to WWE though I pray they do not resurrect (HA!) the Kane-Taker angle any more. It ran its course, served its purpose and would make no sense to bring back now. I’d like to see him and Umaga lock up though.

I read on Jerry “The King” Lawlers wikipedia profile that he has 52 reigns as the NWA/AWA/USWA/MCW/Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Champion. Does anyone, anywhere, have more reigns for a single title than that?

Nope, but then when you own the promotion and pretty much own the city you can do things like that. That doesn’t even include the over 30 tag title runs he’s had.

Steve G brings us to the end of the questions with something to reflect on:

Hello again, and as always, great job!

This is more of a rhetorical question, but:

Who would of thought, twenty years ago at Survivor series 1988, that on the heel team of Andre the Giant, Rick Rude, Harley Race, Mr. Perfect, and Dino Bravo, that only HARLEY RACE would still be alive twenty years later? Doesn’t that blow your mind?

That’s something else. Andre I could see, as he had a lot of health issues. Rude and Perfect were huge and early losses, and I think both would still be around and contributing to the business today had they not had demons to work through. I hope we have seen the last of premature wrestler deaths for years to come.

That’s going to be it, folks. Keep the questions rolling in, now that the minor email issue is fixed. I swear it wasn’t my fault, honest! JT, Bayani and more are in tomorrow. Stay cool, rock hard, and email away!

Lansdellicious – Out.