Pro Wrestling Discussion 68: That's J-E-Double-F, J-A-Double-R, E-Double-T... Slappy!

[Kemo]

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f48/sh...santa-2261667/

Doing a Secret Santa. You guys should join.

[Its Me Austin]

Originally Posted by DoubleDrive

I remember throwing stuff at my TV when he didn't go over on that show.

That really had to be the worst Dusty finish ever.

[Frank23]

Who would be the current WWE Champions if Nash and Russo were running the show?

[falconstalon]

Originally Posted by Smigg

NoDQ.com > WWE > Bret Hart Talks About WWE's Attitude Era and More
Posted by Steve Carrier on 11/14/2012 at 07:30 AM

- WWE Classics recently interviewed Hall of Famer Bret Hart to promote the WWE '13 video game. Here are some highlights:

WWE.COM: What do you think are the lasting effects of The Attitude Era on WWE today?

BRET HART: Well, just about everybody I know talks about that being the last great era of wrestling. For me as a fan, I loved all the stuff Austin did with me and with Vince McMahon. Austin has such a great character that I really enjoyed following his career even after mine was over. I enjoyed all the stuff he did after I left the company.

Even when I was with him in 1997, I thought the stuff I did with Austin was as good as it gets — the match we had at WrestleMania 13, all the promos we did, the Street Fight Match. There was this conviction we both had to make it real, to make everyone really feel that these were real — kind of like what the UFC projects today. We were doing a better job of doing it back then.

WWE.COM: Is there an Attitude Era Superstar you didn’t have a match with who you would want to face in the ring?

BRET HART: If I could go back in time, I would have loved to have done more with Triple H. He blossomed into a bigger star after I left.

I regret, looking back now, that we didn’t have more matches, or better matches or at least one pay-per-view match where we could have really showed our best stuff — or at least, I did. He’s a guy that he and I had some situation together, and I think it worked well on Monday Night Raw, but we never really had the chance to show what we could really do.

WWE.COM: Since The Attitude Era is such a huge part of “WWE ’13,” is there anything specific you feel THQ does to capture the essence of that time?

BRET HART: I think they capture the whole emotion [of the time]. There was a lot of energy in The Attitude Era, where a lot of the great wrestlers that are in “WWE ’13” were in their prime. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and even myself. I know for a fact I had the best matches of my career in 1997, so I think that’s what you look for in the game — to bring back that whole nostalgia of what that era was and how we were all firm believers in our own directions and destiny.

It was uncharted waters back then, and we were all really stepping up. I think you look at all of us, from Shawn, Triple H, Undertaker — we all progressed starting from that period.

Something happened in 1997 that changed the whole industry at least for the next five, six or seven years. It wasn’t about the 24-inch arms and the cartoon characters anymore. It was about the wrestling and what we were doing in the ring, physically.
__________

Bret just can't resist taking a pop at Hogan

Fuck Bret Hart, I wish on that May Night in 1999 it was him up in the rafters and NOT Owen

[MrKontakos]

Originally Posted by falconstalon

Fuck Bret Hart, I wish on that May Night in 1999 it was him up in the rafters and NOT Owen

Ouch. Harsh.

[SprawlanStall]

Fuck Falconstalon, I wish he was Chris Benoits son.

[Smigg]

NoDQ.com > WWE > Matt Hardy Talks About Setting The Bar Too High
Posted by Steve Carrier on 11/14/2012 at 12:24 PM

Former WWE Star Matt Hardy recently spoke with Shining Wizards Podcast. Here are some highlights.

On his match with Shane Douglas being a battle of former ECW Champions from different incarnations: "I think we both have something to prove. We both have mutual respect for one another, but that being said neither one of us are gonna pull any punches when it comes to getting the W and looking good. Shane is probably the most well-known, recognized World Champion of the original ECW, and when WWE recreated it, it was ECW to an extent, and I felt I was one of the better ECW Champions. Two guys from two different eras, and I know when Shane gets in the ring he's got something to prove. Shane is probably the best champion from the original ECW, but I have something to prove."

On his first appearances in WWE with his brother: "We met a guy who was in independent wrestler, and he wrestled primarily for the Italian Stallion. We worked every Friday and Saturday, basically for free, learning the psychology and terminology of the business. Every few months, he would take guys to WWE for TV as extras. The main goal of my brother and I was to work hard to show what we have, even if we weren't featured. We tried to make the talent look as good as possible."

On whether he and his brother raised the bar too high: "We definitely raised the bar too high that we made it harder for everyone else to get near it, even ourselves. We tried to make each match better. Jeff and I wrestled in ladder matches up and down the East Coast on the independents. It was our idea (in WWE), we pitched that. Then Edge and Christian were two guys that worked like us, and had the athleticism and the intestinal fortitude to compete in these matches, and they were magical. No Mercy 1999 we turned the corner and went from WWE wrestlers to WWE Superstars. We had no idea how historic that match would be. This led to matches with the Dudleys, the TLC matches, and how far we went with that."

On the current state of tag team wrestling: "It would be nice if tag team wrestling came back. I saw Raw recently. Primo and Epico wrestled, and they're a good tag team, and they end up getting beat. And then the Usos wrestled, who I think could be really good, and they lost as well, and the teams that beat them were two singles guys thrown together. This is when these guys get wasted, and then when they don't get over as a tag team, they look at them like it's their fault. The talent has to provide, but it's the people that put them there that makes a huge difference as to whether they succeed or not. If you put them in a position to fail, and people aren't going to believe in them, it's your fault as well. You can't just blame the talent if you don't book them in good positioning."

[bbbdvan81]

Originally Posted by flowwiththego

Just to give the other side of the story:
Ric Flair is the second greatest draw of the 20th century behind Hulk Hogan. Granted Flair worked way more dates than anyone. In fact Lanny Poffo tells of how he had to defend himself in the ring against Ole and Gene because they were complaining about biz being bad. Poffo said biz was great because he was on the circuit with Flair and the houses were full because of Flair. Ole took exception and tried to shoot on Poffo in a match but Poffo handled him with ease (being the brother of Randy makes you tough, no matter your gimmick.) JCP lost money because of Jim Crockett. Flair was the best draw they had.
Flair was the NWA champion, you can't expect the NWA champion to job to rookies from Florida. Flair didn't owe Barry anything because he joobed to Flair when he was a rookie. He was supposed to.
It seems like we have two different stories combined. The Sting knee injury was before Flair leaving for the WWF. (Although Flair did refuse to lose to Luger after Stings injury and Herd acquiesced.)
Flair's contract was up. Negotions failed. Flair was supposed to lose at GAB to Luger. Herd got antsy with Flair having the belt. Remember, negotiations were very bitter. Herd wanted the belt of Flair immediately and ordered him to drop it to Windham in Macon. Widham would then lose to Luger. Herd instead, called Flair and said, "Fuck it your fired," as Flair was getting ready to leave to drop the belt to Windham.
Flair was willing to give up the belt but wanted his 25k deposit back that all NWA champs had to put up. Herd refused so Flair kept the belt. Flair later won a judgement for 37k for the belt.
So Luger never won the World title in the WWF and Barry was a midcarder there. I guess Flair held them back there, also.

After Sting hurt his knee, Flair stood by Sting and promised he wouldn't drop the belt to anyone untill he got back. He told herd it would be stupid to change course. Flair felt Sting was the future, not Luger (an atrocius worker he had no passion for the business at all) and all though he loved Windham he felt he didn't have the it factor that Sting had. Ultimately, it was Herds call, anyway, blame him.
So Flair is a prick holding back Luger but no one cares about Sting.
The NWA champion historically had the call on who to drop the title to. At the time kayfabe was not dead , yet. The NWA champ was still pretty powerful, but not like the Thesz days. Thesz was way worse than anyone when it came to losing. He only agreed to Watson because his ankle was shattered in a ski accident and he needed time off.
He wanted to lose to Gordienko but Gordienko was a communist. In another reign he flat out refused to lose to Buddy Rogers and instead decreed that he would lose only to Dick Hutton. Hutton it turned out was not a great draw and was not a great shooter as Thesz thought because a ref choked him out in a locker room fight. Passed out.

I am not starting a war with BB just giving the other side of the story. Every couple of years we go through this subject with the newer members of the forum.

IRT to Flair holding others back, I simply stated that I do not think guys like Simmons would have been champ had Flair stayed. I too said Flair was the man during the 80s. I even stated his match with Funk was an all time favorite of mine. Sounds like Herd is the real problem here though. I also dont believe Flair was purposely trying to screw Barry (as BB said) but it is a shame it was him that felt the most pain in all of this career wise.

I also stated that I didnt feel Barry was a WHC type as was AA or guys like Tito Santana in WWF. However, having Barry as a transitional champ for Luger to defeat was not really a bad idea. Luger was over as hell though, and hate him or not was WHC material. I just dont think he makes a good heel though.

All in all it was still my favorite time period in WCW, but I always preferred MA/JCP/NWA/WCW to any other promotion though...

[bbbdvan81]

Worst Dusty finish was the Road Warriors not winning the titles IN CHICAGO!!

[falconstalon]

Originally Posted by sprawlanstall

fuck falconstalon, i wish he was chris benoits son.

.....benoit is dead lol!!!